10 QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT LIFT SPECIFICATION So you’ve decided that your project needs a people moving lift. But which type do you need? To help you choose the right lift specification, we’ve come up with some questions to consider. Traffic analysis is essential. After this, consideration should be given to the practical building requirements and the profile of the lift users. To help you identify the type of vertical passenger-carrying lift you require for your lift specification, here are several questions to work through. 1. Number of people? Your traffic analysis will govern all decisions on the number of lift(s) you require. Different products can carry vastly different numbers of passengers. For example, platform lifts can hold anything from 1 to 5 people (or a wheelchair user and one attendant). In contrast, passenger lifts can vary from low to high travel, small lifts for 4 or 6 people, or up to larger lifts built to transport people, shopping trolleys etc. 2. Who will be using your lift? The types of people who use the building, and therefore your lift, are pertinent in the product choice. The features it may have and the options you need to include in your specification can be dictated by it. For example, suppose you are placing a platform lift in a nursing home or a place where elderly persons will use the lift independently. In that case, automatic buttons (instead of constant pressure or ‘hold to run’) will make the lift operation much easier.
3. New or existing building? When considering a lift, you must first consider the age and design of your building. New buildings can easily accommodate a lift shaft. However, older buildings can sometimes have a minimal capacity for major changes, such as creating a shaft, due to the required loadings or available space. 4. What type of building are you placing the lift into? You also may need to consider the life cycle of your building. A lifespan of a lift is at least 10 years or more. Therefore, you will need to know if the building use will change in that time or not. 5. How much space do you have in your building? Analysing how much space you have available will allow you to assess if you can fit lifts of specific lift dimensions, sizes and capacity. 6. Number of floors or steps? Determining the number of floors or steps that the lift(s) will be required to travel between. Most platform lifts go up to 12m, whereas passenger lifts can travel up to 40m or more. 7. How much headroom and pit depth are available? Passenger lifts typically require greater pit depth and headroom than a platform lift, but they enable more frequent usage, faster speeds and higher travels. If there are any limitations, it’s essential to check what’s possible with a lift company. 8. Do you have an existing lift shaft? Can you build one? Is there another option if you can’t build a lift shaft?
If you have an existing lift shaft or can build one, it is best to ensure that it fits your preferred product choice’s headroom and pit requirements. A site survey is often required for existing shafts or replacement lifts to recommend the most suitable option. 9. Aesthetics? The finish of the lift comes down to the look and feel you are trying to create, whether you want the lift to be in keeping with the building’s aesthetic and, of course, how much you want to spend! 10. Does the lift need to comply with particular regulations, standards and building requirements? There are a whole host of standards and regulations surrounding lifts, including vandal resistance, fire-fighting (EN81-72) and emergency fire evacuation (BS999), to name a few. If you need to adhere to a particular standard, it is worth mentioning this from the outset.
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42 Construction UK Magazine - October 2021