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Introduction
NBC 2016 Part 8/Subsection 5A covers the requirements for planning,
design, installation, operation, maintenance and inspection of lifts
General Terms Relating to Lifts

LIFT (elevator)
Lift An appliance designed to transport persons or materials between two or
more levels in a vertical or substantially vertical direction by means of a
guided car. The word ‘elevator’ is also synonymously
used for ‘lift’.

Dumb Waiter
Vertical Transportation A lift with a car which moves in guides in a vertical direction; has a net floor
area not exceeding 1 m 2 , total inside height of 1.2 m, whether or not
provided with fixed or removable shelves; has a capacity not exceeding 250
kg and is exclusively used for carrying materials and shall not carry any
person.
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Considerations for Selection of

Introduction
Lifts
Lift Pit Intended use of lift
The space in the lift well below the level of the lowest lift landing served
The number of lifts and their capacities (that is, load and speed) required for a
Lift Landing given building shall be suitably decided to meet the intended requirement.
That‟ portion of a building or structure used for discharge of passengers or System performance
goods or both into or from a lift car.
System performance criteria shall be based on building type (residential,
Rated Load (Lift) commercial, hotel, hospital, etc)
The maximum load for which the lift car is designed and installed to carry
safely at its rated speed. Accessibility requirements
Rated Speed (Lift) All lifts installed for public use shall meet the accessibility requirements in
accordance with 13 of Part 3 ‘Development Control Rules and General Building
The mean of the maximum speed attained by the lift car in the upward and Requirements’ of the NBC-2016
downward direction with rated load in the lift car
MRL Lift Environmental conditions
Machine Room Less Lift It do not have a fixed machine room on the top of the Lifts directly exposed to atmospheric conditions, that is, weather (for example,
hoistway, instead the traction hoisting machine is installed either on the top side
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those meant for external applications), or any other adverse condition shall be
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wall of the hoistway or on the bottom of the hoistway. appropriately designed and protected for that particular condition.

Considerations for Selection of

Types of Lift
Lifts
Two types of lift
Type of main drive for lift
Whether electric traction, geared or gearless or hydraulic depending on Traction (Electric) lift
speed, stops/travel height and capacity requirement.
 Virtually limitless rise (high & mid rise) Geared Traction
Civil engineering requirements  High speeds, but high installation cost
Machinery location that is, machinery to be located in machine room or Gearless Traction
machinery to be kept inside lift well thereby eliminating conventional
machine room.
Seismic considerations Hydraulic lift
Whether the lift is to be protected against seismic forces or whether the lift is to  Limited to heights of about 60 ft. (6 stories) Holed Hydraulic
be rescued to a landing on detection of earthquake or both.  Lower speeds
 Lower initial cost – higher power
Holeless
consumption
Hydraulic
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Geared Traction lift Gearless Traction lift

Lift have a gearbox that is attached to the motor,
which drives the wheel that moves the
ropes. Geared traction lift are capable of travel
speeds up to 500 feet per minute. The maximum
travel distance for a geared traction elevator is
around 250 feet.
Gear-less Traction Elevators have the wheel
attached directly to the motor. Gear-less
traction elevators are capable of speeds up to
2,000 feet per minute and they have a
maximum travel distance of around 2,000 feet
so they are the only choice for high-rise
applications.

Geared traction elevators are middle of the

road in terms of initial cost, ongoing
maintenance costs, and energy consumption.
Gear-less traction elevators have a high initial
cost, medium ongoing maintenance costs, and
use energy a bit more efficiently than geared
traction elevators.
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Hydraulic elevators Bottom Drive Lift

For building up to about 8 floors the lift machine room may located at / below
Hydraulic elevators are supported by a piston
the lowest floor
at the bottom of the elevator that pushes the
elevator up as an electric motor forces oil or
• The system is for less then 8
another hydraulic fluid into the piston.
floors
• The car speed is limited to
The elevator descends as a valve releases the
1m/s
fluid from the piston. They are used for low-rise
• The lift machine create more
applications of 2-8 stories and travel at a
noise in lift shaft
maximum speed of 200 feet per minute. The
• More maintenance cost
machine room for hydraulic elevators is located
• Vibration is more difficult to
at the lowest level adjacent to the elevator
isolate from structure
shaft.
• Impose greater load on
structure
• The system cost is more

Top Drive Bottom Drive

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Recommended Dimensions Recommended Dimensions

of Passenger Lifts and Service Lifts of Passenger Lifts and Service Lifts

As per Clause 5.10.3.1

of section 5A of Part-8
of NBC 2016

The outline dimensions

of lift shaft, machine
room, pit depth,
overhead and raw door
opening size for lifts

NOTES : All dimensions given above for lifts having centre opening power operated doors (COPD) with
counterweight at rear, are recommended dimensions primarily for architects and building planners. Any variations
mutually agreed between the manufacturer and the purchaser are permitted. However, variation in,
a) car inside dimensions shall be within the minimum and maximum area limits specified in accordance with
accepted standards [8-5A(6)].
b) Entrance width on higher side is permitted.
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c) Entrance width on lower side is permitted up to 100 mm subject to minimum of 700 mm.

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Recommended Dimensions Recommended Dimensions

of Stretcher/Hospital Lifts of Stretcher/Hospital Lifts

As per Clause 5.10.3.1

of section 5A of Part-8
of NBC 2016

The outline dimensions

of lift shaft, machine
room, pit depth,
overhead and raw door
opening size for lifts

NOTE
1 All dimensions given above for lifts having two panel telescopic doors (2P TSPD) with counterweight at side,
are recommended dimensions primarily for architects and building planners. Any variations mutually agreed to
between the manufacturer and the purchaser are permitted. However, variation in:
a) car inside dimensions shall be within the maximum area limits specified in accordance with accepted
standards [8-5A(6)].
b) entrance width on higher side is permitted.
c) entrance width on lower side is permitted up to 100 mm subject to minimum of 700 mm.
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d) 2 Car depth of 2 100 mm may be considered in residential/commercial buildings, where use of only
ambulance stretcher is envisaged. The hoist-way depth maybe reduced accordingly.

Grouping of lifts in high rise

Lift lobbies
building
The lifts should be easily • All obstruction to traffic flow , particularly from passers-by , should be eliminated
accessible from all entrances • Cleary visible Ground floor lift lobby from main entrance of the building
to the building. For maximum • Main entrance should
efficiency, they should be not visible for
grouped near the centre of passenger within the
the building. It is preferable lift car. To ensure that
not to have all the lifts out in car are not kept
straight line and, if possible, waiting
not more than four lifts should • Noise generated by
be arranged in this manner. If lift machinery and
more than 4 lifts have to be cars should be
grouped together in a straight considered in relation
line, then destination control to sensitive areas
systems would require to • Plan for service core Not recommended
adopted. Further, the corridor and there is buffer
should be wide enough to zone between lift
allow sufficient space for lobby and the
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waiting passengers as well occupied space
as for through passengers

Terms Relating to Planning and

Handling capacity
Design of Lifts
Door Closing Time (tc ) Time period measured from the instant that car
doors start to close until the doors are locked.
Nominal Travel Time (NTT) The nominal travel time is defined as the time
it would take to run a distance of the total travel at the rated speed of the lift
without taking into account the acceleration and deceleration of the car or
the intermediate stops of real runs.
Passenger Average Waiting Time (AWT) Average period of time from the
instant a passenger registers a landing call or joins a queue, until the
responding lift begins to open its doors at the boarding floor.
The handling capacity is calculated by the formula:
HC = (300 x Q x 100)/T x P
Where
HC = Handling capacity as the percentage of the peak
population handled during 5 min.
Q = Average number of passengers carried in a car
T = waiting interval, and
P = Total population to be handled during peak morning
period. (It is related to the area by a particular bank of lifts)

Round Trip Time (RTT) The average time taken by a single lift to make a
trip from the main terminal back to the main terminal, starting from the time
the car doors open at the main terminal until the car doors re-open at the The value of „Q‟ depends on the
main terminal after serving all demand along the way. dimensions of the car. It may be noted that
Handling Capacity (HC) The number of passengers that a lift system can the capacity loaded always to its
theoretically transport during the up-peak traffic condition with car occupancy of maximum capacity during each trip and,
80 percent of the actual capacity expressed as a percent of the total building therefore, for calculate the value of „Q‟ is
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population. taken as 80% of the maximum http://www.frontdesk.co.in/forum
carry
capacity of the car.

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Recommended Nominal Travel

Waiting interval
Time (NTT)
The waiting interval is calculated by the formula :
As per Clause 4.2.8 of section 5A of Part-8 of NBC 2016 The
T = RTT/N
recommended values for nominal travel time in case of an office,
Where,
commercial or hotel building are given in Table 5 and Clause 4.2.8 Table 10
T = waiting interval
gives the nominal travel times of residential building
N = number of lifts, and
RTT= round trip time

RTT is the sum of the time required in the following process :

a) Entry of the passengers on the ground floor,
b) Exit of the passengers on each floor of discharge,
c) Door closing time before each floor of discharge, TC
d) Door opening time on each discharging operation, TO
e) Acceleration periods,
f) Stopping and leveling periods,
g) Period of full rated speeds between stops going up, and
h) Period of full rated speeds between stops going down.
It is observed that the handling capacity is inversely proportional to the
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waiting time which in turn is proportional to RTT.

Installation requirements Escalators

Conformity with Lifts Act and Rules Escalator — A power driven, inclined, continuous stairway used for raising or
The installation shall generally be carried out in conformity with Lift Acts and lowering passengers.
Rules, wherever they are in force. Like THE BOMBAY LIFT ACT, 1939, THE Named Escalator by Charles Seeberger in 1897 by combining the latin word for
DELHI LIFT RULES, 1942 etc. steps “scala” and elevator
Conformity with The Electricity Act, 2003 and Rules/Regulations Thereunder Escalators are desirable where the movement of people, in large numbers at a
All electrical work in connection with installation of lifts shall be carried out in controlled rate in the minimum of space, is involved, for example, railway stations,
accordance with the provisions of The Indian Electricity Act, 2003 shopping centres/malls, airports, etc. These encourage people to circulate freely
Conformity with Indian Standards and conveniently.
All materials, fittings, appliances, etc, used in electrical installation shall conform
to Indian Standard specifications wherever these exist. Inclination of
Conformity to Accessibility Requirements 30º & 35º are
All lifts installed for public use shall meet the accessibility requirements in common
accordance with 13 of Part 3 ‘Development Control Rules and General Building
Requirements’ of the NBC 2016
Conformity with Fire Regulations
The installation shall be carried out in conformity with Part 4 ‘Fire and Life Safety’
of the NBC2016 and the state fire acts/local fire regulations, wherever they are in
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Expected Pedestrian Flow Rates as per clause
4.2 of NBC 2017 Part 8 Section 5B

Escalators Capacity Free Space for Users

Theoretical Capacity for Escalators To prevent collision, a minimum free area around the escalator or moving walk is
The number of persons that may be defined as per figure 4 of NBC 2017 P-8 Sec-5B
theoretically carried by the escalators
in 1 h is given in Table 2 in clause 4.3
of NBC 2017 P-8 Sec-5B
Y10 ≥ 80 mm
Y9 ≥ 400 mm
Y11 ≥ 160 mm
X12 ≥ 2100 mm

X4 ≥ 2300 mm

Obstacle
Practical Capacity for Escalators
(for
The practical values to be considered example,
while calculating the required number of Column)
escalators (based on traffic flow pattern)
is given in table 4 in clause 4.4 of NBC
2017 P-8 Sec-5B

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ESCALATOR CONFIGURATION Indian Standards (IS CODE) for LIFTS

IS CODE Title
Escalators occupy more space than 14665 Electric Traction Lifts
stairs in order to accommodate their Guidelines for outline dimensions of passenger, goods, service
inclination. There are few standard (Part 1) : 2000 and hospital lifts
escalator arrangements as shown in Code of practice for installation, operation and maintenance,
(Part 2 / Sections
Figure Type (a) and Type (b) provide Section 1 Passenger and
1and 2 ): 2000
efficient circulation by providing the goods lifts, Section 2 Service lifts
shortest transition path and time Safety rules, Section 1 Passenger and goods lifts, Section 2
(Part 3 / Sections
from one escalator and the next. Service lifts
1and 2) : 2000
Type (b) requires larger structural Components,
opening than Type (a) and Type (c) Section 1 Lift buffers,
Section 2 Lift guide rails and guide shoes,
and present users with a higher risk
Section 3 Lift car frame, car, counterweight and suspension,
of falling into the void. (Part 4/ Sections Section 4 Lift safety gears and governors,
Type (c) is typical of a store as it
1 to 9) : 2001 Section 5 Lift retiring cam,
allows the store to lengthen the Section 6 Lift doors and locking devices and contacts,
circulation route past goods for sale. Section 7 Lift machines and brakes,
This configuration also takes up free Section 8 Lift wire ropes,
space http://www.frontdesk.co.in/forum Section 9 Controller and operating device
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3C WALK AROUND
(Part 5 : 1999) Inspection manual

Indian Standards (IS CODE) for LIFTS Reference

IS CODE Title S.No. Title

Code of Practice for installation and maintenance of Building Services: A guide to integrated design : engineering for
IS 14671 : 1999 hydraulic lifts 1 architects by R P Parlour
Code of Practice for installation and maintenance of lifts for The Vertical Transportation Handbook, Third Edition
IS 15330 : 2003 handicapped persons 2
by G R. Strakosch
IS 15785 : 2007 Code of Practice for installation and maintenance of lift without
conventional machine rooms

Code of practice for installation and maintenance of home lifts

15259 : 2002
Code of practice for Installation and maintenance of lifts for
15330 : 2003 handicapped persons
9457 : 2005 Code of practice for safety colours and safety signs

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