Dramaten's new foldable lifting platform at the main entrance

The new lift that folds into the staircase is in place at the main entrance of Sweden's royal theatre Dramaten and was inaugurated on Friday 16 February by Dramaten's CEO Kitte Wagner and Theatre Manager Mattias Andersson.

The lifting platform improves accessibility to the Dramaten theatre and is part of a comprehensive accessibility project that Dramaten and the Swedish National Property Board began in 2021.

"When I started at Dramaten in 2020, the building was neglected in terms of accessibility. For example, as a wheelchair user, you couldn't enter the main entrance or work on our stages. Since then, we have worked on several levels to increase accessibility. When we installed a temporary lift, it was met with strong reactions on social media, to say the least. Now it feels really good that we have found a permanent solution," says Mattias Andersson, Head of Theatre and Artistic Director at Dramaten.

"It feels great to be able to hand over the long-awaited lifting platform to our tenant. The lifting platform works for everyone and is aesthetically pleasing, while also taking into account Dramaten's cultural and historical values," says Ingrid Eiken, Director General of the National Property Board.

The lifting platform is hydraulically powered and is a so-called integrated lifting platform that folds up and merges with the staircase when not in use.

-"If you're just walking by, you probably won't notice the lifting platform is there. There are a number of similar solutions from Stepless by Guldmann around the world, but as far as we know, this one is unique in terms of size, lifting height and prominent location," says Johan Wisth, Technical Manager at the Danish State Property Agency, which manages the Dramaten building.

A permanent solution
The new lifting platform is permanently installed and replaces the previous temporary solution at Dramaten's main entrance. It works by changing the shape of part of the staircase into a platform that lifts passengers in e.g. wheelchairs from the pavement to the entrance. The previously sloping terrain has been levelled for better accessibility and two steps have been added about two metres beyond the existing staircase.

"We are very pleased that Dramaten now has a permanent accessibility solution that is both functional and fits into the cultural-historical environment," says Dramaten's director Kitte Wagner.

The architectural firm Ahrbom & Partner customised the design of the new lifting platform for Dramaten's impressive entrance area. The lifting platform itself was manufactured and delivered by Stepless by Guldmann, who also carried out the installation together with Rotgruppen AB. The landscape team designed the ground solution with the new brickwork and the design of the area in front of the stairs.