This auto-lift for a celebrity car collector combines eight automated doors in a choreographed sequence. A Porsche collection is housed and displayed in the building.
This project includes all aspects of design related to a small automobile museum. It includes a fully automated interior large-scale vehicle elevator connecting several floors for collector vehicle access and display. This project for a car collector exists in a 9-story building in the heart of Manhattan. The trajectory of the electrically operated trackless doors is controlled by a set of actuators, synchronized with the movement of the gates on the platform. This project is uniquely tailored to the history and character of these rare Porsche race cars, one that pushes existing elevator technology to its edge and uses materials in innovative and distinctive ways. Expanding the boundaries of its original concept, operating and riding this lift becomes a ritual that is part of the pleasure of collecting and personalizing such vehicle collections. The moving floor is a checkerboard of glass with each square illuminated by LED lights. Encased in the glass are engravings of drivers at full scale who were participants in the 1950s La Mans race.
Design: 2002
Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, New York City
Partners: RoArt Inc. (Elevator Design)
Project Team (with Roart on Lift): Michael Fox, Eran Shemesh, Azriel From Ilan Ohayon, Aimee Van Dyme, Eran Doron, Tomoko Ishikawa, Adam Kolsrud.
Interior Designer: Derek Larson Designs. Controls: Jon Halpern & associates. Contractor: Campbell /Canter Inc.
Doors & Gates: Electro Kinetics. Metal Work: Royal Metal, Ferra Design Inc., Vigilant Metal Design. Glass: Depp Glass
Status: Built
