Going up: award-winning Savaria® Vuelift® panoramic elevators

Home elevators are increasing in popularity. For one thing, people are living longer and the vast majority plan to age in place. Indeed, a US survey found that 90% of adults over 65 would like to stay in their current residence. A lift in one's home serves a number of practical purposes besides enhancing mobility, like the convenience of moving groceries or heavy objects between levels. And there is status involved, too. A home elevator is a real conversation piece – not to mention that it can add up to 10% to the value of a home.

But as desirable as home lifts are, they are often perceived as a visual intrusion. Many architects, designers and homeowners look to install them in an out-of-the-way corner, or hide them in a series of vertically aligned closets converted into an elevator shaft. 

One company, however, believes it’s time to bring the home elevator out of that closet.

Savaria®, a global accessibility and mobility leader based in Canada, has changed the home lift game with its show-stopping and award-winning Vuelift® panoramic elevators. Founded in 1979, Savaria® designs and manufactures a range that includes commercial LU/LA elevators, wheelchair lifts, residential elevators, and stairlifts, supplying both private and commercial clients. The company’s decades-long engineering and R&D experience has translated into the Vuelift®. Designed to be a standout feature in a home, the elevator includes a clear glass* or acrylic cab and integrated hoistway, supported by a powder-coated steel frame.

As the top-of-the-line lift in the Savaria® residential elevator portfolio, this visually striking elevator comes in two shapes and six models, ranging from the compact round Vuelift® Mini with its 50-inch footprint to the wheelchair-accommodating Vuelift® Octagonal+ Glass. The powder-coated steel frame comes in black as standard, with upgrades to white or silver, or almost any custom colour, in fact – like bright red – to match bolder interiors. The cabin itself can be configured to offer straight-through, 90-degree or three-sided entry. And because the lift includes an integrated hoistway, there is no need to construct an elevator shaft. That means it can be placed almost anywhere in the floorplan. 

Any lift can provide mobility. The Vuelift® provides an experience, offering 360-degree views as you travel between floors. Far from being relegated to a back corner, many architects, designers and clients have chosen to make Vuelift® a central feature within their entrance hallways, stairways or formal living spaces.

Jean-Sebastien Herr, co-founder of Montreal-based practice MU Architecture, has incorporated Savaria® lifts in a number of residential projects. He recalls one instance when clients asked for a statement staircase, but also wished to include the mobility benefits associated with a home elevator. ‘They were pleased and excited that the Vuelift® increased the staircase’s visual impact, its design, and allowed for efficient space planning at the same time,’ he said. ‘It definitely created that wow effect they were hoping for.’

The Vuelift® features a reliable winding drum drive that uses aircraft-grade cables to ensure quiet and smooth operation. The elevator offers a capacity ranging from 500lb (225kg) for the Vuelift® Mini to 950lb (430 kg) for full-sized models. It requires a minimal pit of just 4–12 inches (aprrox. 10–30 cm), and an overhead of only 96–108 inches (approx 245–274 cm) depending on the model. All models offer a short ramp option when a pit is not possible. The Vuelift® can travel up to 50 feet, or 55 feet with variance (that's approx. 15 m and 17 m respectively),  over six stops.

These technical specifications – and the lift’s integrated hoistway – translate into extreme floorplan flexibility for both new construction or retrofit projects. Designers can place it for maximum design impact without sacrificing usability, whether that’s centred in a staircase, attached to a balcony, or in the middle of an open concept space.

That integrated hoistway often translates into a faster construction project, too. With no elevator shaft to build, the Vuelift® can be installed in weeks rather than months. 

Installation is always performed by an authorised Savaria® dealer – part of the company’s global network of trained technicians. These experts are well-versed in both elevator technology and local building codes and regulations to help project teams ensure a safe and compliant lift installation.

Savaria® offers Vuelift® planning guides, a model comparison chart, master specifications, CAD drawings and BIM objects on www.vuelift.com.

For those looking to combine a bold aesthetic statement with a designed-in convenience lifestyle or aging-in-place planning – the Savaria® Vuelift® ticks all the boxes.

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* Check local codes and regulations for permissibility of glass residential elevators in your jurisdiction.

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