Elevator Shaft Guide: Requirements, Size and Planning

What is an elevator shaft?

An elevator shaft (also called a hoistway or lift well) is the vertical enclosure in which the lift car and its counterweight travel between floors. It holds the guide rails, the landing doors, the buffers in the pit and, in machine-room-less lifts, the drive itself. The shaft is part of the building structure, not of the lift.

The general contractor builds the shaft and the lift company installs the lift, so coordinate them early. The European standards EN 81-20 and EN 81-50, which every WestLift installation follows, cover the shaft as well as the equipment.

What does an elevator shaft need?

Every shaft needs a pit below the lowest landing, enough headroom above the top landing, space for the drive (a machine room or a machine-room-less layout), solid walls to carry the guide rails, lighting, ventilation and a dedicated power supply. The exact values depend on the lift model, its speed and its capacity.

• Pit — a recess below the lowest floor for the buffers and a safe maintenance space. It must stay dry; we waterproof it during shaft preparation.
• Headroom — the clear height above the top landing that lets the car stop safely with a refuge space on its roof. Faster lifts and taller cars need more.
• Machine room or MRL — a separate room for the drive and controller, or a machine-room-less design with the drive inside the shaft.
• Walls and structure — strong enough to anchor the guide-rail brackets and built plumb, so the rails can be aligned over the full height.
• Ventilation and lighting — permanent lighting for inspection and maintenance, and ventilation in line with the building design.
• Power supply — a dedicated line to the controller, sized for the drive; we check the building’s electrical capacity during the survey.
• Lift equipment only — pipes and cables that do not belong to the lift should run elsewhere.

Machine room or machine-room-less (MRL) — which is better?

A machine-room-less lift places the drive inside the shaft and the controller in a cabinet near the top landing, so no separate room is needed on the roof. A machine room keeps the drive and controller in their own space, which some buildings and heavier lifts still prefer. WestLift installs passenger and freight elevators of both types.

For low-rise buildings, a hydraulic lift is a third option. We recommend the drive type after a site survey and a look at your drawings.

How big does an elevator shaft need to be?

Shaft size follows from the lift: the car size and capacity, the door width and type, the counterweight position and the drive. There is no single standard size, so the shaft should be designed around the chosen model. In Georgian residential buildings, a shaft of about 1600 × 1700 mm for a 630 kg, 8-person lift is common.

Use the table for early planning only — the binding shaft drawing comes from the manufacturer’s layout for the exact model, which we prepare after the survey.

Is a shaft different in a new and an existing building?

In a new building the shaft is designed together with the structure, so its size, pit and headroom can match the chosen lift exactly. In an existing building the lift has to fit the space that is already there: we measure the shaft, check the pit and headroom, and select a model that fits.

Involve us before the shaft is cast — changing pit depth or headroom later is costly. In buildings that already have a lift, modernization usually keeps the shaft and often the rails; if the shaft is too small for the capacity you need, a new installation may be better. See elevator modernization.

Can a lift go on the facade or work with a shallow pit?

Yes, for some lift types. Our home elevators (250–400 kg) can be installed inside the house or on the exterior facade, and our platform lift for people with reduced mobility needs a pit of only 120 mm. Whether a particular house can do without a conventional masonry shaft depends on the model and the structure, which we confirm on site.

Panoramic elevators can also run on the facade, in an atrium or in a glazed shaft. See home elevators, platform lifts and panoramic elevators.

Can a hoist run in the shaft during construction?

Yes. A rack-and-pinion construction hoist can be installed inside the future lift shaft to move workers and materials while the building goes up. At the Tower Group project in Batumi, WestLift installed an EMKO EMK 450 hoist in the shaft, with 140 m of travel, 2000 kg capacity and speeds of up to 54 m/min.

With the hoist inside the shaft, the facade stays free for cladding and glazing; the shaft must still be planned for the permanent lift. See the Tower Group project and our construction hoists.

Who designs and approves an elevator shaft?

The shaft is designed by the building’s architect and structural engineer as part of the project documentation and is approved with the building permit. The lift company supplies a layout with the dimensions, loads and openings the chosen lift needs. Before the lift enters service, it is tested and checked by independent technical supervision.

We produce technical drawings, confirm load calculations before ordering equipment, flag civil works outside our scope early, and after installation hand over the inspection certificate required for commissioning.

How does WestLift help with your shaft?

We start with a free site survey: our engineers measure the shaft and machine-room space, check the electrical capacity and building structure, and recommend a lift that fits. The survey, technical drawings and pricing breakdown are free — you only commit once you accept the proposal. Installation typically takes 4–8 weeks per shaft.

We also handle shaft preparation — cleaning, rail alignment, pit waterproofing, buffers and the machine-room platform — then installation, testing and handover. See our installation process.