FEATURE SECTION Access and egress Going up and down As buildings get taller, requirements change to include mechanical access and egress equipment, such as escalators and lifts. We have a look at the Building Code and standards to see what is required and when. BY TREVOR PRINGLE, ANZIA, BRANZ PRINCIPAL WRITER 2 AS AN INDUSTRY, we have the knowledge 1 and techniques to build very tall buildings. We take it for granted that these will be entry designed with the required numbers of mid-level access escalators and lifts to get the occupants in and out as safely, efficiently and quickly B1 as possible. ground line Mid-rise access and egress ground line B2 What is not so clear is the situation with mid-rise buildings and what the relevant rules around access and egress are. Several questions arise: ●● When must some form of mechanical Figure 1: Access at mid-height makes this building two up and two down. A lift may not be required, depending on design occupancy and purpose. Standards such as NZS 4121:2001 and D1/AS1 don’t recognise buildings where floors are below the entry level. However, BRANZ considers it prudent to apply the sames rules to floors below the entry level as for those above. vertical transport be installed? ●● ●● ●● How many floors can be accessible by Taller building access and egress ●● stairs stairs or ramps alone? Options for moving people within taller ●● ramps Does the building’s occupancy or use buildings are: ●● ladders. change the vertical access requirements? ●● lifts – passenger and service What are the rules where the main access ●● escalators Clause D1 say when lifts are needed into a 5-storey building is at level 3 (see ●● spiral escalators The functional requirement of New Zealand Figure 1)? ●● inclined travellators Building Code clause D1 Access routes says 70 — December 2018/January 2019 — Build 169 Access and egress FEATURE SECTION that ‘buildings shall be provided with reasonable and adequate access to enable safe and easy movement of people’. For vertical transport, performance clause D1 paragraph 1.3.4 (c) says include a lift complying with clause D2 Mechanical install­ations for access to upper floors where: ●● buildings are 4 or more storeys high ●● buildings are 3 storeys high and have a total design occupancy of 50 or more persons on the upper two floors ●● buildings are 2 storeys high and have a total design occupancy of 40 persons on ●● the upper floor provisions for people using or servicing In the event of fire an upper floor, irrespective of design mechanical installations in buildings, such Building Code clause C Protection from occupancy, is to be used for the purposes as lifts or escalators. fire also has provisions relating to lifts. of public reception areas of banks, central, It requires mechanical installations for Where the escape height in buildings regional and local government offices, and movement to: facilities, hospitals, medical and dental ●● withstand loads required for normal use (ground floor recall function) is required, surgeries, and medical, paramedical and ●● be built to avoid accidents and injury allowing firefighter use of a normal lift in other primary healthcare centres. ●● safeguard people in the event of overload an emergency. D1/AS1 section 12 references NZS 4121:2001 exceeds 10 m, fire service lift control or emergency. It is a requirement that all lift shafts must Design for access and mobility: Buildings and D2/AS1 Passenger carrying lifts and D2/AS2 associated facilities as an Acceptable Solution Platform lifts and low-speed lifts cite the to determine the need for a lift for people following as being Acceptable Solutions NZS 4121:2001 requirements differ with disabilities based on gross floor areas. subject to the modifications outlined in D1/AS1: The requirements of NZS 4121:2001 section NZS 4332:1997 Non-domestic passenger 9.1.3 (which differs from D1) are that a lift purposes of determining whether a lift must and goods lifts and as amended by D2/AS2 should be installed in a building to provide be provided for people with disabilities to clauses 1.0.1, 1.5.3, 1.6 and 1.7. vertical transportation for: D1/AS1 section 12.0.1 on lifts says: ‘For the access upper floors, the design occupancy ●● be fire rated. EN 81-20 is an Acceptable Solution for elec- ●● buildings with 4 or more storeys of a floor shall be calculated using Paragraph tric and hydraulic passenger lifts (EN 81-20 ●● upper floors of any building where public 1.4 of C/AS2 through to C/AS6 as appropriate makes extensive reference to EN 81-50) or Paragraph 3.1 of C/VM2.’ Other forms of vertical transport such as escalators are not covered in D1/AS1. ●● ●● NZS 4334:2012 Platform lifts and low-speed access is required to a reception area ●● lifts is an Acceptable Solution for platform medical centres, dental surgeries and lifts and low-speed lifts. D2/AS3 Escalators and moving walks cites EN Acceptable Solutions for installation 115 as an Acceptable Solution subject to the Building Code clause D2 outlines the safety modifications in the Acceptable Solution. upper floors of public hospital areas, other primary healthcare facilities ●● upper floors of public assembly spaces that can accommodate more than 250 people ●● public libraries. Build 169 — December 2018/January 2019 — 71 FEATURE SECTION Access and egress Clause 9.1.3.2 of the standard says that, for the transport of persons and goods. Changes for designers where the above is not applicable, a lift is Remote alarm on passenger and goods The 2014 version of EN 81-20 introduced not required, provided the ground floor is passenger lifts some changes that the building designer EN 81-77:2013 Safety rules for the construction needs to consider: and installation of lifts. Particular applications ●● accessible and upper floors are accessible ●● for ambulant disabled for: ●● ●● 2-storey buildings with a gross upper floor for passenger and goods passenger lifts. Lifts area less than 400 m2 subject to seismic conditions. All glass used in the elevator shaft must be laminated. ●● The provision of shaft ventilation is 3-storey buildings with a gross floor area In addition, lift installations must comply now the responsibility of the building less than 500 m2 for the upper floors. with NZS 4332:1997 Part 25.8 – Operation designer. The elevator manufacturer must of lifts under earthquake conditions . provide all the necessary information Lift design and installation NZS 4332:1997 addresses approximately about, for example, the heat emissions Major elevator manufacturers operating in New 20 key New Zealand-specific Building Code of elevator components. Zealand have used European standard EN 81-1 compliance requirements such as seismic Safety rules for the construction and installation restraint spacings. Escalator and moving walks design and installation What has been amended in the updated standards? Standards applicable to escalators and Amendments to the updated EN 81 stand- ●● of lifts. Electric lifts and EN81-2 Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts. Hydraulic lifts as the primary means of compliance. Two new versions came into effect in September 2017 (note D2 still references ards include: EN 81-1): ●● ●● EN 81-20:2014 Safety rules for the construc●● and goods passenger lifts. ●● E N 8 1 - 5 0 : 2 0 14 Safet y r ules for the ●● ISO 22201-2:2013 Lifts (elevators), escalators and moving walks — Programmable an enhanced protection mechanism that electronic systems in safety related appli- addresses the risk of the lift car moving cations — Part 2: Escalators and moving away from the landing tion and installation of lifts. Lifts for the transport of persons and goods. Passenger moving walks include: extended protection against ascending walks ●● ISO/TR 14799-1:2015 Comparison of car overspeed worldwide escalator and moving walk safety incorporation of curtain of light mecha- standards. Rule by rule comparison construction and installation of lifts. nisms – a non-contact detection system Examinations and tests. Design rules, that is designed to prevent the doors from calculations, examinations and tests of closing if an obstruction is detected ●● EN 115-1:2017 Safety of escalators and moving walks. Construction and installation as modified by D2/AS3 section 1.0.1. incorporation of c ar- door locking Basic design parameters include: Other EN standards that may be referenced mechanisms to prevent the doors from ●● – depending on lift type – include: being opened from inside when the car 30° provides the highest travelling comfort is outside the unlocking zone and maximum safety for the user. 35° updated strength requirements for both inclination is the most efficient solution landing and car doors as well as car walls as it requires less space and can be imple- lift components. ●● ●● EN 81-5:1999 Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts – Part 5: Screw ●● lifts ●● EN 81-6:1999 Safety rules for the construc- ●● chain lifts ●● a change to access or inspection doors ●● for inclined moving walks, inclinations of 10°, 11° and 12° are typical. EN 81-7:1999 Safety rules for the construc- instead of inspection trapdoors to address tion and installation of lifts – Part 7: Rack safe and easy access for technicians and Emergency New Zealand’s Designers’ guide. For more Further information is available in Fire increased volume requirements for the Firefighting operations in lifts, see EN 81-28:2003 Safet y r ules for the safety refuge spaces on the car roof and www.fireandemergency.nz. construction and installation of lifts. Lifts in the pit. and pinion lifts ●● ●● mented more cost-effectively higher levels of lighting for the car interior and the shaft tion and installation of lifts – Part 6: Guided for escalators, inclinations of 30–35°. 72 — December 2018/January 2019 — Build 169 ●●
