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Lifts and Escalators 523
FFL
Lift car
Landing
doors
Ceiling height
e.g. 2000
FFL
Lift pit
Figure 9.5 Vertical section through lift shaft showing critical dimensions.
suspended to suit different lighting effects. Walls may be finished with decorative panels
and/or mirrors. Round section handrails can also be added. Floors are typically finished
with hardwearing vinyls, carpet or stone. A skirting helps to protect wall finishes from
scuffing and damage.
Consoles
Push button consoles incorporate illuminated lights to indicate that a lift car has been
called. Special pushes and raised (tactile) signage will assist people with a visual impairment.
Braille may also be provided on the consoles. Recorded audio messages (voice
annunciater) are usually fitted as standard. Consoles also incorporate an emergency voice
communication system.
Construction of the lift shaft
The lift car must be supported on a loadbearing wall or frame. Alternatively the lift assembly
may be self-supported, i.e. independent of the building structure, in a robust steel
framework. The usual arrangement is to build a lift shaft with reinforced concrete or loadbearing
masonry. Concrete is now regarded as the preferred option for cores, escape routes
and lift shafts in Europe and the US. With increased sophistication of off-site manufacturing,
it is now possible to manufacture the lift shaft and associated assemblies as prefabricated
modules. This can help to improve quality and also help with dimensional coordination
to ensure that the shaft is plumb. However, currently most lift shafts are constructed on
site using slip form, climbing formwork systems (Figure 9.6 and Photograph 9.1). Glass lift
shafts with a steel (and in some cases aluminium) structure are commonly used within
atria spaces, stations and airports.