Lift Planning & DesignVolume 1 · Issue 1 · June 2026
Planning a Lift, Properly
The architectural companion to our buyer's library — a 15-guide deep-dive into the shaft, pit, machine room and structure of a residential lift, how to design one into a new home or retrofit it into an old one, and the duplex, villa, narrow-plot, Vastu, accessibility and fire-safety cases — for architects and serious self-builders.
Architect's Residential Elevator Planning Handbook (India): Shaft, Loads, Code & Coordination
A working-drawing reference for architects planning residential lifts in India: shaft stacking, structural loads, pit and headroom, IS 14665 and NBC 2016, state Lift Acts and licensing, CPWD accessibility geometry, electrical provisioning and tender coordination.
Read itThe shaft, pit and structure
The technical core
Space02Home Lift Space Requirements (India): How Much Room a Home Elevator Really Needs
How much room a home lift really needs in India: clear shaft and footprint by capacity, pit and headroom, landing clearance, shaft vs shaftless PVE, and where to fit a lift in a plan, with a space-by-type table in mm.
Shaft03Lift Shaft Design Guide (India): Hoistway Dimensions, Walls, Ventilation and Tolerances
A deep technical guide to designing the residential lift hoistway in India: sizing the well by capacity, 150-200 mm unplastered RCC walls, plumb tolerance, car-to-wall clearances, guide-rail fixing, ventilation, sump and drainage, internal finishes, and what not to do.
Pit04Lift Pit Requirements Explained (India): Depth, Waterproofing and Pitless Options
Lift pit requirements for Indian homes: depth by drive type, the waterproof RCC box, designing pit walls for earth pressure, sump and dewatering, buffer impact provision, ladder, stop-switch and lighting, plus low-pit, pitless and shaftless options.
Machine room05Machine Room Requirements for Home Lifts (India): MRL vs Machine-Room, Space and Services
Machine-room-less (MRL) is the 2026 home-lift norm. This professional spoke covers when a separate machine room is still used, its dimensions, top-vs-side location, ventilation, access and lighting, the supplier's unfactored hoist-beam load, and the hydraulic power-pack cabinet.
Structure06Home Lift Structural Design Considerations (India): Loads, Shaft and Coordination
How a home lift loads the structure: guide-rail bracket reactions, buffer impact, hoist-beam loads; designing the shaft and pit as RCC elements; framed vs load-bearing; and the coordination rule — design the shaft to the vendor's GA and reaction schedule, never before.
Designing and fitting the lift
New build, retrofit and by home type
New build07Designing a Lift into a New House (India): Getting It Right at the Plan Stage
Building a new home in India? Designing the lift at the plan stage is the cheapest, calmest moment to get it right: where to place it, which type to commit to early, what shaft, pit, headroom and power to reserve, who to coordinate, and how to budget.
Retrofit08Retrofitting a Lift into an Existing Home (India): Options, Structure, Disruption and Cost
Adding a lift to a finished Indian home: assessing the house, the easiest shaftless pneumatic and compact MRL routes, where it fits, cutting and framing slab openings, disruption and timeline, and the cost premium versus provisioning or building new.
Duplex09Lift Planning for Duplex Homes (India): Two-Level Living, One Smart Lift
How to plan a 2-stop lift for an Indian duplex: where it sits relative to the internal stair, the best lift types for two levels (PVE, hydraulic, screw, compact MRL), apartment space and headroom, slab-cutting and society permissions, plus finish and integration.
Villas10Lift Planning for Villas (India): Multi-Floor Bungalows and Independent Homes
How to plan a lift for an independent villa or bungalow in India: locating it in the stair core or as a glass statement, choosing between gearless MRL, hydraulic and panoramic PVE, integrating courtyards and double-height spaces, and provisioning for future floors.
Narrow plots11Lift Design for Narrow Plots (India): Fitting an Elevator into a Tight Urban Home
How to fit a lift into a narrow urban plot like 20x40 or 25x40: the most compact options (small-footprint MRL, shaftless pneumatic vacuum, stacking the shaft over a cupboard column), working around setbacks and the staircase, pitless choices, and protecting daylight.
With the stair12Lift Integration with Staircase Design (India): The Stair-and-Lift Core Done Well
Integrate the lift with the staircase as a single stair-and-lift core. Indicative stair-void sizes to take a small lift, an integration-patterns comparison, shared walls and landings, pit and overhead coordination, daylight, and getting both to land flush at the same floor levels.
Vastu, access, luxury and safety
The human and the statutory
Vastu13Lift Placement as per Vastu (India): Directions, the Staircase and Practical Reconciliation
Vastu guidance for home-lift placement in India: favoured directions (N, NE, also SE/NW), what to avoid (SW, the Brahmasthan, opposite the main door), the lift-and-staircase relationship, pit direction, and how to reconcile Vastu with structure and safety.
Seniors14Lift Planning for Senior-Friendly Homes (India): Ageing in Place, with the Lift at the Centre
For a multi-storey home where someone is ageing, the lift decides whether every floor stays in their life. Lift vs stairlift, the senior-friendly spec, ARD battery rescue, where to place it, and planning for a parent moving in.
Luxury15Lift Design for Luxury Residences (India): Panoramic Cabins, Bespoke Finishes and Statement Placement
How to make a home lift a luxury design statement in an Indian residence: panoramic glass and pneumatic vacuum cabins, bespoke wood, leather, stone, mirror and mood-light finishes, larger slow-prestige cars, double-height foyer placement and home-automation integration.
Fire safety16Lift and Fire Safety Planning (India): What Home Lifts Must Do When There's a Fire
A normal home lift is not a fire exit. Learn fire-recall behaviour, fire-rated landing doors and shaft compartmentation, when a fireman's lift is required (generally above 15 m), why ARD backup matters, the fire NOC check, and a home fire-safety-for-lifts checklist.