Older buildings didn’t have accessibility considerations in mind when being constructed. That’s the truth of the matter when it came to decades past where even building codes didn’t account for mobility limitations for virtually anyone and everyone. Such buildings need to now be adapted to modernized versions of themselves, creating unique engineering challenges.
It’s not as simple as just adding ramps and widening doorways. It’s about construction limitations of existing buildings erected with different framing measures, different materials and differently minded construction approaches. Engineers must make it work without compromising these decades or centuries old structures.
Understanding What’s There to Work With
Before any accessibility adjustments can be made, however, engineers need to assess how the buildings are put together as is. This is more than looking at blueprints, if they’re even still existent, and assuming those are accurate. Many alterations have been made over the years and the information on paper does not always correspond to what’s actually there.
A structural survey reveals load bearing walls, direction of floor joists, where beams are located and how services—electricity and plumbing, for example—are routed. This determines what’s feasible and what won’t be possible. Punching through a wall may seem easy until one realizes it’s a three story load bearing wall.
Platform Lifts in Spaces That Don’t Have Space
Vertical access is one of the biggest issues in older buildings. Staircases were created without much width, and with lots of angle, to save space. Even movement down them can be difficult at times, let alone up them. Adding in a traditional lift shaft is rarely a possibility without extensive demolishment and rebuilding.
This is where specialists are consulted for possible platform lift options for retrofit projects. Contemporary platform lifts can function in areas where conventional lifts cannot—traveling vertically without needing an entire shaft. They can fit against walls, be added within the stairwells themselves and even applied to partially external access when internal space is too confined.
An engineering challenge arises when creating floor openings and supportive materials without compromising building integrity. In some instances, steelworks is needed to transfer loads around newly created holes; in others, existing joists can be cut and properly supported to keep structural integrity without hindering access.
Working with Historic Fabric & Protected Buildings
Listed buildings and structures in conservation areas add another level of complication. Any changes must receive approval from heritage bodies and engineering solutions must limit how much original fabric is compromised; often, this avoids the simplest solutions.
Engineers working on these types of projects have to think outside the box to avoid compromising valuable features while still offering means of accessibility compliance. External platform lifts on rear elevations avoid cut-through of internal floors; freestanding means of access that don’t require connecting to original walls can offer provision without permanence. Steel frames are adjustable and don’t rely on historic mason support.
The challenge lies in knowing what’s touchable and what’s not, and adhering to those guidelines. It takes longer and costs more, but it’s the only way to make historic properties accessible without decimating the reasons behind their historical importance.
Vertical Strength Capacity
Anything new added to any existing structure raises the question of whether or not the floors can accommodate additional weight. Platform lifts aren’t excessively heavy compared to other equipment or constructions, but they place weight in specific areas versus evenly distributing it.
Engineers assess the loads versus what the existing structure can sustain. Timber floors in existing constructions may require bolstering measures or distributors with plates may need to become cohesive weights to disperse wider area loads. Concrete floors typically have more capacity, but even then, existing conditions make a difference.
This is where age matters. Victorian buildings have better construction quality but elements may not stand the test of time, post-war buildings operated at a lighter capacity which limits what can be added. Each age’s characteristics allow differing perceptions of what’s possible for retrofits.
Routing Control and Power
Platform lifts require electrical functionality which means new wiring through constructions that weren’t designed for such wiring. In modern constructions, the cables can go through conduits, voids or areas with accessibility. In older buildings, they’re forced through solid walls and under floors with minimal space.
Surface-mounted trunking works, but that’s not always appropriate for high-end lifts, whereas chasing into walls is effective but risks hitting services or structural elements. Sometimes the best solution is externally or through utility areas with minimal visibility.
Control panels and call buttons require conspicuity with accessibility but unobtrusiveness in building traffic aesthetics which means time and effort spent judging best case scenarios in tighter spaces of period properties or corridors.
Integration with Fire Safety Systems
Modern regulations concerning fire safety provisions often conflict with build layouts of historical units that were constructed before new regulations came into play. Adding a platform lift creates an interior vertical cut-through that combines two floors; it opens up compartmentation which spreads fires easier than before.
Fire rated enclosures become necessary, automatic fire doors constructed in an emergency situation become require, integration with existing fire alarm systems must exist. What happens depends on occupancy, size, fire safety measures already in place and getting this done takes inter-departmental effort between structural engineers, fire safety consultants and building control.
Existing Services
Older systems have accumulated services over time. Electricity, plumbing systems, heating systems, data networking—, these all have been planted at different times over decades after initial construction where routing has taken shape over convenience.
When access systems retrofit projects are implemented with consultations, instead of adding services outside/past old elements, they naturally find piping and wiring right where new steel construction needs to go.
Relocation adds time and cost, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. The key is identifying conflicts during survey stages and not after demolition begins. Putting in the work ahead of time by opening junctions allows for accurate assessments instead of expensive surprises later down the road.
Making it Work Practically
Accessibility retrofits that work best find a combination between ideal accessibility construction compliance versus realistic needs of what’s already there—ideal compliance doesn’t occur 100% in historical properties without demolishing their appeal.
It’s the best feasible accessibility accommodations that work given what’s feasible. This requires engineers familiar with modern codes and expectations balanced with old construction work efforts that need time, input and sometimes creative thinking for what’s ideally possible while assessing what’s realistically there.
It’s entirely possible to accommodate historical properties immensely better than before based on accessibility options available without compromising original integrity or construction patterns.