Terry Group Case Study
Terry Melody 2 and S7- Durham Cathedral, Durham
Project Description
An icon of North East England, Durham Cathedral is renowned as the greatest Norman building in England and receives 600,000 visitors each year. The Cathedral needed to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) by providing access for wheelchair users and the less mobile to Monks' Dormitory, accessed by a steep staircase.
The sensitive setting meant that Durham Cathedral's decision to install the lifts was notable, demonstrating the difficulty of meeting the requirements of the DDA in a historic building. The Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England described the lift installation as the "biggest intrusion in modern times to any part of any Cathedral", and gaining approval from the local Fabric Advisory Committee took 3-4 years.
The Cathedral Architect approached Terry Lifts to provide a solution in what was a very tight site with an extremely small landing area between two flights of stairs. Looking at the limited space available, Terry Lifts recommended the installation of a Melody 2 platform lift for the lower level of the staircase, and an S7 wheelchair stairlift for the upper section. The historic nature of the building meant that the project was far more technically complex and sophisticated than a typical lift installation, as it was essential to minimise the impact on the aesthetics of the setting.
All preparation work was done by the Cathedral's own stone masonry department under the supervision of Terry Lifts and their nominated structural engineering company. Terry Lifts' regional sales manager attended site at regular intervals to ensure work was carried out correctly before Terry Lifts' engineers installed both lifts.
Challenges
- Good aesthetics essential in the historic setting
- Approval needed from local Fabric Advisory Committee
- Technical complexity of dealing with protected areas
- Necessary excavation into stairs uncovered older remains pre-dating Cathedral
- Importance of avoiding stress on ground works
- Irregular height of top step on main staircase
- Very small landing area between two flights of stairs
Solution
Melody 2 platform lift
Terry Lifts worked with the Structural Engineering company to aid in the design of an angle bracket built into the lifting facia to take the strain of the hydraulic ram that would have otherwise projected a force onto the protected flooring. Terry Lifts' design also managed to hide the majority of the concrete at the upper level by custom shaping the upper level concrete area, minimising the visual impact on the sandstone flags.
S7 stairlift
Terry Lifts used Chem Fix into the sandstone steps to prevent the blocks bursting under the strain of conventional style rawl bolts being used. The design also incorporated a custom-styled extended upper-level ramp, as the top step was considerably lower than the rest, which would have caused the lift to finish too far away from the top of the stairs.
Advantages at a glance
- Bespoke solution allowed preservation of protected areas
- Minimal impact on aesthetics of sandstone flags
- Concrete on display hidden under Melody 2 gate fixings
- Stairlift solution accommodated irregular step height
Client Feedback
The Clerk of Works at Durham Cathedral describes the solution provided by Terry Lifts as "the best for the space available", and is fully satisfied with the performance of the lifts. As the landing space is so restricted and gives very little room for wheelchair manoeuvre, a Cathedral member of staff assists lift users for health and safety reasons.
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