LBY Archives: 1995

Science Museum, London

People entering/exiting the main elevator at the ground floor of Science Museum, London, one person appears blurred with only their legs visible, the other is inside the elevator, background shows modern interior design.

Lift Tower, Science Museum

The lift tower at the Science Museum reimagines a purely functional element as part of the visitor experience.

Replacing a series of escalators, two high-capacity traction lifts serve all five levels of the museum. Rather than being concealed, the lifts are expressed as a central feature – visible, dynamic and engaging.

A fully glazed shaft is suspended within the building’s concrete structure, revealing the movement of the lift cars and counterweights. Brightly coloured components – orange lift cars and yellow counterweights – move through a framework of blue steel and glass, creating layered visual effects as they pass.

Careful detailing enhances both performance and experience. Horizontal glazing bands within the lift cars improve visibility for users of different heights, while the exposed mechanics and illuminated movement transform the journey into a moment of interaction and discovery.

Even the motor room is made visible, reinforcing the project’s dual role as both infrastructure and exhibit.

Colourful internal workings of the Science Museum elevator with visible internal mechanisms through the glass walls, displaying orange and yellow panels against the blue frame panels, with a large grey support beam central to the elevator shaft.

“Now, over 30 years later the lifts are still a visitor attraction and serve a useful purpose!”

JOHN LYALL, LBY ARCHITECTS

A stylishly lite shot of the corner of the Science Museum building interior looking out of one corner, with angular metal walls and large glass windows reflecting sunlight through narrow gaps in the wall panels.
An elevated side-view of the internal workings of the Science Museum elevator with visible internal mechanisms through the glass walls, displaying orange panels against the blue frame panels, with grey support beams outside.
A close-up of an distinct orange panels with sleek lines of the Science Museum elevator area with the mechanical system inside and metal components and cables on display.
Colourful internal workings of the Science Museum elevator with visible internal mechanisms through the glass walls, displaying symmetrical orange panels against the blue frame panels, with a large grey support beam central to the elevator shaft.

< PREVIOUS

NEXT >

BACK TO THE ARCHIVES