Elevator dimensions: plan the car, doors and shaft together

Start with the transport task

Describe the building use, served levels and what must enter the car. Include equipment dimensions alongside the required load; kilograms alone do not establish a car or shaft size. Wheelchair and companion use, hospital transport and goods handling require different assessments of entrances and approach space within the relevant product family.

Separate car space, doorway and shaft

Car dimensions concern the usable interior; shaft or hoistway dimensions concern a separate space. Check internal or external reference faces and finished surfaces. Distinguish the clear doorway from the opening prepared in a wall. Instead of adding a fixed allowance to a catalogue car size, request the selected model’s project layout.

Read the plan and section as a pair

Show shaft width, depth and entrances in plan; show landings, travel, pit and overhead in section. Give units and measurement reference points. Mark existing measurements separately from proposals. Model, date and revision identify whether the architectural drawing and technical sheet describe the same arrangement. Overall building height is not the elevator’s travel.

Include existing constraints and the approach to the car

Mark known beams, walls, floor openings and service routes. Photographs support the dimensioned plan rather than replacing technical assessment. Describe wheelchair approach, turning and companion requirements along the route to the car. Equipment, entrances and building conditions must be assessed together; a single doorway width or floor area does not establish accessibility.

An elevator for an apartment building: people and space

Describe the number of apartments and stops, busy periods, and requirements for strollers and wheelchairs. Show the route from the street entrance to the elevator at every served level. In an existing building, mark stairs and landings that must remain available.

A request for a 4- or 6-person elevator does not establish car, doorway or shaft dimensions. Request one technical sheet identifying the proposed model’s passenger rating, rated load, usable car space and clear doorway, together with its dimensioned project layout. Confirm the intended use; a passenger count alone does not demonstrate accessibility.

Goods lift dimensions: include the load and handling equipment

Record the packaged width, depth and height of the largest item. Include the pallet or trolley, the total load to be transported and space to manoeuvre at the entrance. Mark how goods will enter and leave at each served level.

State whether a person needs to travel with the goods and confirm that the proposed model permits that use. Request a layout showing the car, clear doorway, shaft and loading conditions. A load rating alone does not prove that an item fits or that a particular arrangement is available.

Show a requested 90° two-entrance arrangement on the plan

If the project calls for two entrances at 90° to each other, mark both door positions and the entrance used at each landing. Consider turning inside the car, approach space and the movement of transported items. A drawing with opposite entrances does not describe the same arrangement.

Confirm availability for the selected model with the technical team. Request a project drawing showing both clear doorways and the required car and shaft dimensions. This planning scenario does not establish that a specific AKE model offers 90° entrances or that the project has been approved.

Prepare these details for a layout review

1. Building use, levels served and the intended transport task.
2. Dimensioned plans and sections with units and reference points.
3. Separate shaft, pit and overhead information.
4. Entrance positions, approach space and any access requirements.
5. Existing measurements, proposed changes and known structural constraints.
6. The model, variant and document revision for the proposed layout.