Which Lift Product is Right for Our Requirements?

Posted by 2mags

How to Choose the Right Lift for Your Building

Lifts have become an essential part of modern-day buildings. They are used to cover distant and time-consuming segments of a structure quickly. Research shows that 90% of people prefer to use a lift instead of stairs. The first skyscraper in Chicago was designed considering the availability of the mechanical lifts. Founders of the “Father of the Skyscrapers” knew that the mechanical lifts could ensure the movement between 138ft high ten stories. Otherwise, it would not have been technically feasible to populate such a tall edifice in the 19th century. However, these days it has become a common practice to install a lift in commercial and residential buildings for convenient movement of the people. 

A lift is undoubtedly an essential part of any building these days. Many buildings either have lifts or the owners are planning for the installation, the selection of the right type of lift may seem confusing to some people. However, for the simplification of the selection process, let’s have a look at the common types of lifts.

• Passenger Lift is used to carry passenger traffic vertically. Both the passengers on foot and mobility aid can use this type of lift.
• Platform Lifts are used to facilitate the people who are unable to use the staircase due to physical impairment and also as an alternative to a standard passenger lift for some sites with limited space or fewer floors to cover. They can also be a low-cost alternative to the expensive passenger lift.
• Wheelchair Lifts  feature a variety of options including automatic door openers, remote controls and customisable colours and finishes. 
• Goods Lift is designed to move goods and bulky items such as furniture, equipment and supplies of a certain weight. 

• Dumbwaiter Lifts are small size elevators that carry goods instead of people. They are usually installed in 50kg and 100kg capacity. 
• Bed Lifts are installed in the hospitals for moving patients on a standard medical bed inside the hospitals.
• Fire Fighter Lifts are primarily used for the rescue services. It has special protection measures which help rescue the people stuck in the fire outbreak.

You can choose a suitable lift for your building by keeping the following things in mind. 

1. Requirements and Structure of the Building 

Every building has different purposes and traffic flow. A wrong selection of the lift can cause consequences for the users. For instance, a bed lift which is used to carry passengers on a bed is not useful in a shopping complex or an office. A detailed traffic analysis of the building can also help in determining the number of people. 

2. User Requirements

The selected lift must fulfil the needs of the people who are going to use the lift service of your building. You must consider the following points during the need assessment of the passengers. 

• Area of the usage
• Number of people 
• Frequency of the usage
• Nature and structure of the building 
• What will be transported in the lift? Goods or people. 

The points mentioned above are worth considering, and they would help you in determining the traffic flow of your building. 

3. Practical Implementation 

It is important to select a lift that is suitable for your building. A careful analysis of the structure of building with the expected flow of traffic can give an idea about the viability of different designs. Furthermore, you can also hire experts for calculating the analytical lift for the traffic flow of the goods or passengers at peak hours. 

4. Location of the Lift

Choosing the right place for the installation is critical for the proper functioning of a lift. As a general rule of thumb, the lift must be easy to access for the users. By keeping the accessibility factor in mind, halls and corridors that work as the connecting point to the rest of the floor are reasonable locations. Furthermore, the space available for the installation is also an essential factor for the final installation of the lift. However, only experts can analyze the condition of the building and suggest the best location.

5. Type of the Lift

There are many kinds of lifts, but all of them may not fulfil your requirements. For example, a platform lift is the best option for the buildings and houses with limited space.  Furthermore, you do not have to make significant alterations in the design of your building because a platform lift comes with its lift shaft, unlike a Passenger lift which requires a lift shaft in the building if one isn’t already in place. 

6. Number of Floors 

Numbers of floors that the lift is going to cover are needed to be taken into account before choosing the category of the lift. For example, a platform lift travels slower between floors than a passenger lifts due to its design. If you want to cover more than three levels, the type of lift will play a critical role in determining the time taken for covering the floors. The slow-moving speed of the platform lifts may not suit the office of a multinational corporation, but it would work fine in a two-three story house or office building

7. Cost-Effectiveness 

Cost is a significant consideration when it comes to choosing the best lift for any place. For instance, Platform lifts are more cost-effective than Passenger lifts. Platform lift requires a minimal pit of 50mm underneath the lift or can be placed directly to the floor and have a small ramp for access and usually require less headroom (the measurement from the top floor landing to space above the elevator to the ceiling) in comparison to a Passenger lift. Passenger lifts may require a pit of 1200mm-1600mm underneath the lift, and you may need to make alterations in the existing design of your building. Adjustments created for the installation of the lift can add to the overall cost of the lift. 

Lifts are safe for vertical travelling. According to the Health and Safety Executive report, fatalities caused by the elevators were not included in the top 10 reasons for deaths in 2014-19. The right type of lift with security measures can reduce the chances of any unfortunate event to null. Life Insurance research also validates that merely 1 in 10,440,000 are likely to face a fatal injury in a lift. Always take expert help for determining the best lift type for your building. 

Speak to Motion Elevators today for guidance on the right lift product for your requirements.