At the end of 2024, an important and ambitious project was awarded to redesign the elevators in one of the most iconic landmarks in the world: Big Ben in London. After extensive evaluation, a barrier-free and eco-sustainable project was selected, which in the coming years will serve to efficiently manage the impressive structure admired by all.
Big Ben, completed in 1859, was designed in the Gothic style by Augustus Pugin. The clock tower was later renamed “Elizabeth Tower” in 2012, in honor of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.
Since its construction, custodians and maintenance workers have historically faced the perilous 334-step spiral staircase. However, thanks to the tower’s renovation project, the two new elevators will forever change this routine.
Specifically, two elevators are planned within a large existing stone ventilation shaft inside Elizabeth Tower. The main elevator will span 57 meters from the ground floor to the eleventh floor at a speed of 1.5 meters per second, while a second elevator, a platform lift, will provide direct access to the belfry. From there, visitors can access the back of the world’s most famous clock face (in 1994, a lighting system with 113 bulbs was added, framing Big Ben at night. Additionally, when Parliament is in session, a light at the top of the tower shines as a symbol for all British citizens).
The introduction of these elevators represents a complex and exciting challenge that has resulted in a stable lifting system, greatly facilitating the work of the clock engineers while preserving the historical integrity of the clock tower. Among the many difficulties of this significant engineering endeavor was certainly the fact that the elevator design had to account for the tower’s 0.23-degree lean, in addition to the strict requirements imposed (Big Ben is a UNESCO World Heritage site).
