Commercial buildings house many offices owned by several enterprises to offer a variety of services to clients. The limited building space in most urban areas forces people to construct storey buildings so that they can maximise the little available space. With several enterprises renting the offices spaces in such buildings, you expect scores of people to visit them every day for the services they offer. Some of the people coming into the offices will have a harder time navigating their way around, especially when they have to take the stairs to reach the upper floors. This challenge can be caused by physical disability, medical conditions, or old age. Therefore, it is important to consider the needs of such people by using platform lifts, which are designed to help those with difficulty using stairs. Here are a few types of platform lifts that you can use in your buildings:

Inclined Platform Lifts

Inclined platform lifts comprise a flat platform fitted to a diagonal runner next to a long stack of stairs. The platform can carry wheelchairs and an attendant from the ground level to the upper floors, leaving the stairs clear for those who can use them. They move diagonally along the length of the stairs. Inclined platform lifts are suitable for building areas with many stairs covering long climbing distances. You can use them within and outside the building where you have long stacks of stairs.  

Step Lifts

At times, the design of a building requires different flooring levels. For instance, the flooring of the reception area in an office might be slightly higher than that of the waiting bay to enable the receptionist to have a better view of the people sitting in the waiting area. In such a case, clients have to climb a small stack of stairs to reach the receptionist.

Here, you can install step lifts, or low-rise platform lifts to assist those using wheelchairs and who have a hard time using the staircase. They travel vertically to raise the person to higher ground. Moreover, they also offer extra weight capacity to accommodate an attendant who may be needed to help the person on and off the lifts. They are installed beside the small stack of stairs.

Vertical Platform Lifts

Vertical platform lifts are similar to the traditional lifts used in many storey buildings. However, they are slower, have lesser capacity, and travel smaller height ranges than the traditional lifts. This makes them suitable for small commercial buildings. However, you can install several of them on different floors if you have a very tall building.  

For more information and options, talk with a platform lift company in your area.