Choosing the right lift for the clientele
It is critical to consider the clientele and demographics of the population that will be using the pool or spa when selecting the type and location of one or more access lifts. Sankey says he emphasizes the importance of knowing the market demographics and the intended use of the pool and spa when determining the type and location of the access lift.
“Our clients are in the hotel, motel, apartment, and condominium (HMAC) market and senior living market and find that a lift is more apropos than a ramp…as the necessity to provide wheelchairs that can be submerged is problematic,” says Sankey.
When recently working on a high-end senior living community, Sankey says he encountered a small pool with a ramp; he asked the general contractor how their residents in wheelchairs were going to access the pool.
“I asked him, do you think they will be able to drive their electric or manual chair down the ramp into the pool? They had never thought of it,” he says. “What about parking in the pool for the wheelchairs?”
This is the type of pragmatic planning that needs to take place to provide useful and compliant access and design.
Retirement and resort communities have a growing population of active, aging adults who use the pool for exercise and need easy access to and from the water. Pool and spa access in a rehabilitation centre, retirement community, or YMCA facility (where many bathers use the pool/spa for daily physical therapy) cannot be limited to one access lift. The accessibility method would not suffice based on the number of people who use these facilities. Accessibility options for hotel and motel pools/spas typically seeing fewer bathers might be planned differently.
Compliant lifts and aquatic facility esthetics
Aquatic consultants and designers act as an intermediary between the product manufacturers and the project owner. They are tasked with designing beautiful and inviting environments while following building codes and requirements for placing pool lifts in appropriate locations.
“Designers would joke with manufacturers asking how we, as manufacturers could make lifts invisible,” says Giffin. “As funny as it sounds, we did take this feedback to heart and created more minimalistic, low-profile lifts in custom colours to minimize the medical/sterile look and instead co-ordinate better with the esthetics of the facility.”
Sankey offers a retrofit design service in his market area and can create computer-aided design drawings and modelling for the intended client in the retrofit market. With respect to new designs/construction, the same level of detail is provided.
According to Giffin, the improvements in pool lifts have allowed designers to work within the confines of the codes and regulations while still achieving the desired vision for the facility. Sankey says he agrees lifts are somewhat sterile in appearance, but his company designs and engineers pool and spa lift placement and installation to make them look as esthetically appealing as possible.
He says he can strategically place one lift to be used between two bodies of water; for example, one lift could be placed in such a way that it can help users get into both the pool and the space, while remaining within ADA requirements.
Access lifts have seen dramatic changes in the last 10 to 15 years—not only to comply with updated accessibility requirements but also to meet the esthetic goals of aquatic facility designers. The goal is to minimize how the lift will interrupt the line of sight and bather traffic area around the pool to help blend everything together.
In many cases, designers come up with a creative placement that keeps them out of the line of sight of the overall pool. Additionally, choosing a lift that is removable allows a facility to take the lift off the pool when the pool is closed.
