283757893275

9
Lifts and Escalators
Quick, reliable and safe vertical circulation is an essential feature of most commercial
buildings and larger residential developments. Lifts (also known as elevators) and escalators
are the primary means of moving people, goods and equipment between different levels
within buildings. Staircases are still required as an alternative means of escape in the event
of a fire or when the lift or escalator is out of use (e.g. for routine maintenance). Lifts and
escalators are prefabricated in factories by a small number of manufacturers, transported
to site, installed and commissioned prior to use. These comprise ‘standard’ lift cars and
escalators as well as items made to specific customer requirements. Although the design
and commissioning of lifts and escalators is the domain of engineers, there is a considerable
amount of building work required to ensure that the mechanical equipment can be installed
safely. This chapter provides a short description of mechanical transport systems.
9.1 Functional requirements
The functional requirements for staircases were set out in Barry’s Introduction to Construction
of Buildings. In buildings with a vertical change in floor level, it is necessary to provide
a means of transport from one floor to another, both to improve the movement of people
within the building and to allow access to all parts of the building for everyone, regardless
of disability. Lifts and elevators provide quick, reliable and safe vertical movement for large
volumes of people and equipment. Stair lifts and platform lifts may also be used to allow
movement of wheelchairs and pushchairs from one floor or level to another. Moving walkways,
or travelators, are sometimes used to accommodate relatively small differences in
floor level but are mainly used to transport people over long distances within large buildings,
such as airport terminals and the larger supermarkets. In all cases, there is still a
requirement for adequate provision of stairs. Stairs will need to be used in the event of an
emergency and to provide an alternative route should a lift be out of order, due to mechanical
breakdown or routine maintenance.
Lifts and escalators
The primary functional requirements for lifts, escalators and moving walkways are:
❏
❏
Safety
Reliability and ease of maintenance
Barry’s Advanced Construction of Buildings, Third Edition. Stephen Emmitt and Christopher A. Gorse.
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Published 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
514