Building refurbishment is fast becoming a booming sector of the property industry, a phenomenon which is aided by the assistance provided by Public Authorities, which in many cases is aimed at improving housing and accessibility through the refurbishment of shared public areas.

One of the improvements which is most in demand is the installation of lifts, which eliminates architectural barriers and improves the quality of life of users, adding value to the building. The installation of practicable, accessible lifts, in accordance with current legislation is desirable, although the conditions of the building, and in cer tain circumstances, the need to preserve the original character of the building, can limit the available space.

The technical specifications for adapting the building must be in line with the Technical Construction Code, in aspects such as structural safety, fire safety, soundproofing and saving energy. When the structural safety of the building may be compromised, the use of self-suppor ting structures such as the MP Structura avoid dynamic stresses being applied to the structure of the building.

Moreover, not only does the installation of a lift require suf ficient physical space for the lift itself to function, but it also requires free safety space in the shaft and work spaces in the machiner y zones. Finding the safety and work space required by current legislation is a common problem, and is a source of conflict when it is necessar y to use private space to fit the new lift into the building.

When there is insufficient space, it is necessary to carry out an analysis of the installation risks of the solutions proposed, in order to ensure they meet the requirements of Lifts Directive 95/16/ CE (Royal Decree 1314/1997). The evaluation of risks leads to the creation of a series of compensator y measures which must guarantee safety to the level required by current legislation. A Notified Body must examine the suitability of these measures and issue a design cer tificate.

MP holds design certificates and patented solutions which allow it to provide optimal solutions for the most common variances of small pits or headroom.

In accordance with these requirements, MP holds design certificates and patented solutions which allow it to provide optimal solutions for the most common variances of small pits or headroom, which generally require the installation of devices which guarantee the safety spaces when access to the danger zone is detected. For any other circumstances, MP carries out risk analyses and requests design cer tificates as par t of its ser vice within each lift project.

A new development which it is impor tant to be aware of is that this year, it is anticipated that the EN81-21 standard will come into force, which will cover the most common variances of the EN81- 1/2:98 standard in existing buildings, such as small pits and headroom, fitting counter weights in the lift shaft or reducing the height of the machine room or landing doors. The solutions implemented in the MP Ares lift aim to comply with this standard in terms of small pits or headroom.

Ana Belén Piazuelo
Standards, Patents and Certificates Manager