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title: "Elevator Installation Mid-Rise Buildings Guide | AVANORTH"
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description: "Elevator installation guide: types, shaft requirements, MRL traction, timeline, common mistakes, and coordination tips for mid-rise construction."
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AVANORTH Home
**Construction Tips**·June 6, 2026· 4 min read
# **Elevator Installation in Mid-Rise Buildings: A Practical Guide**
Elevator installation is a critical path item in mid-rise construction. Understanding elevator types, shaft requirements, lead times, and coordination with other trades prevents costly delays.
**AVANORTH Team**
AVANORTH Construction
Elevators are one of the most specialized and longest-lead-time components in a mid-rise building (4-12 storeys). The elevator manufacturer typically requires 16-24 weeks to fabricate the equipment after approved shop drawings, and installation takes 8-16 weeks depending on the number of stops and elevator type. Because the elevator shaft is a structural element that runs the full height of the building, its dimensions and location must be finalized early in design and cannot be easily changed. Poor coordination between the elevator supplier, structural engineer, and general contractor is one of the most common causes of schedule delays in mid-rise construction.
---
## Elevator Types for Mid-Rise
| Type | Max Floors | Speed | Machine Room | Cost per Stop | Best For |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hydraulic | 6-8 | Slow (0.5-1.0 m/s) | Required (ground level) | $15,000-25,000 | Low-rise, budget projects |
| MRL Traction (gearless) | 30+ | Medium-fast (1.0-4.0 m/s) | None (machine in shaft) | $20,000-35,000 | Most mid-rise buildings |
| Geared Traction | 20+ | Medium (1.0-2.5 m/s) | Required (top of shaft) | $18,000-30,000 | Mid-rise when machine room is acceptable |
> **Industry Trend:** Machine-Room-Less (MRL) traction elevators have become the standard for mid-rise construction. The drive machine and controller are mounted inside the hoistway (shaft), eliminating the need for a dedicated machine room. This saves floor space, reduces structural requirements, and simplifies the building design. MRL elevators use permanent magnet gearless motors that are quiet, energy-efficient, and require less maintenance than older geared systems.
---
## Shaft Requirements
### Structural
- **Shaft walls:** Minimum 2-hour fire-rated construction (typically reinforced concrete or concrete masonry). Must support rail bracket loads (several kN per bracket).
- **Pit:** Below the lowest landing, typically 1.2-1.8 m deep for MRL traction, 1.5-2.0 m for hydraulic. Waterproof pit required. Sump pump if below water table.
- **Overhead:** Clear overhead above the top landing, typically 3.5-4.5 m for MRL (varies by manufacturer and speed).
- **Shaft dimensions:** Specified by the elevator manufacturer. Typical for a 2,500 lb MRL passenger elevator: 1,800 mm wide x 1,800 mm deep (inside shaft). Must be plumb to tight tolerances (typically +/- 25 mm over full shaft height).
### Mechanical and Electrical
| Requirement | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Electrical power | Dedicated circuit, typically 30-60A at 208V 3-phase for MRL traction |
| Ventilation | Shaft ventilation at top per code (natural or mechanical) |
| Sump pump | Required in pit if below grade |
| Telephone/intercom | Dedicated phone line to each car for emergency communication |
| Fire recall | Connection to building fire alarm system for Phase I and Phase II recall |
| Smoke detectors | In lobby at top and bottom landings, and in machine room |
---
## Installation Timeline
1. **Design phase (months 1-3):** Elevator consultant or manufacturer selected. Shaft dimensions, pit depth, overhead, and electrical requirements confirmed. Structural engineer incorporates into building design.
2. **Shop drawings (months 3-5):** Manufacturer produces detailed shop drawings. Reviewed and approved by architect and structural engineer.
3. **Fabrication (months 5-11):** 16-24 weeks manufacturing lead time. This is the longest lead item. Order must be placed before or immediately after construction starts.
4. **Shaft construction (concurrent):** Shaft walls built as the building rises. Must be plumb, smooth, and within tolerance.
5. **Rail installation (after shaft complete):** Guide rails mounted to shaft walls. Requires completed shaft with all blockouts and brackets in place.
6. **Equipment installation (8-16 weeks):** Machine, controller, car, doors, wiring. Requires exclusive use of the shaft (no other trades working in the shaft).
7. **Testing and inspection (2-4 weeks):** Manufacturer testing, followed by TSSA (Technical Standards and Safety Authority) inspection in Ontario.
---
## Common Mistakes
- **Late order:** Not ordering the elevator early enough, resulting in 4-6 month delay waiting for fabrication
- **Shaft tolerance:** Shaft walls not plumb or not to correct dimensions, requiring remedial work before rails can be installed
- **Missing blockouts:** Forgetting to leave openings in the shaft walls for door frames, resulting in expensive concrete cutting
- **Electrical not ready:** Dedicated power and fire alarm connections not in place when elevator installer arrives
- **Pit not waterproof:** Water in the pit delays installation and damages equipment
> **AVANORTH Elevator Coordination:** We place elevator orders during the design phase, typically 6-8 months before the elevator will be needed on site. We assign a coordinator to manage the interface between the elevator manufacturer, structural engineer, electrical contractor, and fire alarm contractor. Shaft dimensions are verified at each floor during construction with laser plumb measurements. Our approach eliminates the most common cause of mid-rise schedule delays: waiting for the elevator.
#elevator #mid-rise #vertical-transport
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