Planning a lift for a commercial building involves more than finding a system that fits the available shaft space. Accessibility, building use, fire strategy and the type of lift being installed can all affect the specification.
The rules are also spread across different regulations, Approved Documents and British Standards. That can make it difficult for a building owner or project team to know which requirements matter at the design stage and which apply later.
For commercial lifts, getting those points clear early can prevent a specification having to be changed once the wider building design is already fixed.
Part M and access between floors
For buildings in England, Approved Document M provides guidance on meeting the Building Regulations requirements for access to and use of buildings.
For new non-domestic developments, a passenger lift is generally the preferred way to provide vertical access between storeys. The guidance expects new developments to have a passenger lift serving all storeys, although the regulations are based on making reasonable provision and individual projects can have particular constraints.
That distinction matters. It is not simply a case of saying that every commercial building above a certain number of floors must have the same type of lift.
The building layout, its use and the people expected to use it all need to be considered.
When a platform lift may be appropriate
A full passenger lift is not the only possible solution.
In existing buildings, space, structure, headroom or pit depth can make a conventional passenger lift difficult to accommodate. Approved Document M recognises that a vertical lifting platform may be considered where a passenger lift cannot reasonably be installed.
This does not make the two systems interchangeable.
A passenger lift is designed for general movement between floors and will usually be the more suitable option where passenger numbers and usage are higher. Platform lifts tend to suit lower-rise accessibility requirements or buildings where the available space creates tighter installation constraints.
The choice should come from the building requirements rather than simply selecting the smaller or cheaper option.
Building Regulations and lift standards are not the same thing
One common source of confusion is the difference between Building Regulations and lift standards.
Approved Documents explain ways of satisfying particular requirements of the Building Regulations. British Standards deal with more detailed aspects of lift design, construction and use.
For example, BS EN 81-20 covers safety requirements for new passenger and goods-passenger lifts, while BS EN 81-70 deals specifically with accessibility for people using passenger and goods-passenger lifts.
A lift specification may therefore need to satisfy several requirements at the same time. Meeting one standard does not automatically deal with every accessibility, fire or building-design issue affecting the project.
Energy efficiency now needs closer attention
Energy use has become a more direct part of lift specification for projects falling under the 2026 standards.
Approved Document L 2026 contains specific guidance for passenger lifts in new buildings. It says their energy consumption should be assessed using recognised calculation methods and sets minimum energy-efficiency classes according to travel height and rated speed.
Passenger lifts in new buildings should also enter a reduced-energy standby condition during periods of low demand.
That does not mean every commercial lift must use a particular drive technology. Regenerative drives, for example, may be appropriate on some projects, but the regulations should not be reduced to a checklist of individual components.
The important point is that lift energy performance now needs to be considered as part of the building-services specification rather than treated solely as an optional efficiency upgrade.
Fire strategy can alter what is required
An ordinary passenger lift should not automatically be assumed to provide a means of evacuation during a fire.
Where the building strategy requires lift-assisted evacuation, the project may need a purpose-designed evacuation lift with the appropriate protected environment, controls, power arrangements and management procedures.
Firefighting lifts have a different purpose again. They are intended to support fire and rescue service operations and have their own requirements.
These decisions need to be coordinated with the building’s fire strategy early enough for the lift shaft, lobbies, power supplies and surrounding construction to be designed accordingly.
Trying to change an ordinary passenger lift into a specialist emergency lift late in the project can create significant design problems.
The analogue phone switch-off affects existing lifts too
Regulatory work is not limited to new installations.
Many existing lifts use an analogue telephone connection for their emergency communication system. The UK’s Public Switched Telephone Network is being retired, with PSTN-reliant services expected to move to digital alternatives by January 2027.
Building owners should therefore know how their lift alarm communicates and whether the equipment will continue to work correctly after the telephone service changes.
This is particularly easy to overlook because the lift itself may continue operating normally while the communication equipment becomes incompatible with the new connection.
Emergency communication should be checked as part of the wider lift maintenance and servicing arrangements rather than waiting until the old telephone service disappears.
Existing buildings need a different approach
A new development offers more freedom to plan shaft dimensions, pit depth, headroom and landing arrangements around the proposed lift.
An existing building rarely does.
Structural openings may already be fixed. Floor levels may not align neatly. Listed features, restricted headroom or limited circulation space can all affect the options available.
This is why applying a new-build specification directly to a retrofit project can cause problems. The regulations still need to be considered, but the route to a workable solution may be different.
A site survey and early design review can establish where the real constraints are before a particular lift is selected.
Compliance should influence the specification from the start
Building Regulations should not be something checked after the lift has already been chosen.
The people using the building, expected passenger numbers, accessibility requirements, fire strategy, available space and energy requirements can all influence the type of lift that is suitable.
Bringing those factors together at the start gives the project team a better chance of choosing a lift that works with the building rather than having to redesign around it later.
New Lift Solutions works with architects, contractors, developers and building owners on commercial lift projects from early specification through to installation and ongoing support. Early involvement allows the lift requirements to be considered alongside the wider building design while there is still time to resolve any constraints properly.