01
Public buildings
Offices, civic, and service buildings where the wheelchair path from lobby to floors must stay open.
Accessibility
Wheelchair / accessible elevator
A wheelchair elevator is built around entry: door width, cabin floor area, handrails, control height, and leveling. It may serve a public building, clinic, or home. It is not a hospital stretcher lift and not a stairlift. Atlas Asanbar Arsh designs and installs in Tehran, Karaj, and cities across northern Iran.
- Clear passage
- Doors sized for wheelchair entry
- Accurate leveling
- Stop flush with the landing
- Public and residential
- Clinic, apartment, or home
System anatomy
What is a wheelchair elevator and how does it work?
A wheelchair elevator is a use case, not a drive type. It has a full cabin, travels in a shaft, and the drive can be hydraulic or traction — depending on height and structure. What separates it from a standard passenger lift is the entry path: door, floor, handrail, buttons, leveling.
- 01
Door width
The clear door opening must let a wheelchair pass without catching the frame. The figure is locked after survey and the intended wheelchair type — not from a brochure number.
- 02
Cabin floor area
The cabin floor must have room to enter and manoeuvre a wheelchair. That is access space, not stretcher depth; a bed needs a much deeper car.
- 03
Handrail
A continuous cabin handrail gives a stable hold — for a wheelchair user and for a standing companion.
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Control height
The car panel and hall call buttons must be usable from a wheelchair; we set the height after the survey and the chair type.
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Landing level
Cabin floor must meet the landing so the threshold is not a step. Poor leveling blocks wheelchair wheels — we set this at handover testing.
It is not a hospital stretcher lift. A bed needs much more cabin depth; an access car sized for a wheelchair does not replace that. It is also not a stairlift: a platform on the stairs has no full cabin and the path stays open.
We lock dimensions after measuring the shaft and knowing the intended wheelchair. Access standards are a design reference; we do not quote millimetres here as if they were page-law. You pick the cabin separately from the drive. The quote comes after the survey.
Use cases
Which projects suit wheelchair elevators?
A wheelchair elevator fits a building where wheelchair entry is part of the brief — not cabin decoration. An office, a clinic, a residential complex with an access requirement, or a multi-level home.
02
Residential and apartments
Complexes and apartments where a resident using a wheelchair must reach the unit from parking or ground floor.
03
Cabin space
Floor and walls are set so a wheelchair can enter and a handrail gives a hold — not a tight decorative car.
04
Controls and buttons
Car panel and hall calls at a height usable from a wheelchair — set after the survey.
If a bed or stretcher must move, do not push this page; a stretcher lift needs much more depth. If you are only covering stairs with an open platform, that is not a wheelchair elevator either. Lock dimensions after the survey and the chair type.
An honest picture
Wheelchair elevator advantages and limits
A wheelchair elevator makes sense when the path from landing into the cabin is open for a wheelchair. Door, floor, handrail, buttons, and leveling are the five pieces. If the building is public, a clinic, or a multi-level home and the goal is wheelchair entry, take this use case seriously.
Advantages
Unobstructed threshold entry
Door width and leveling are set so a wheelchair can move from landing to cabin; a small step at the threshold is exactly the barrier this use case must remove.
Reachable controls
Car and hall controls sit at a height usable from a wheelchair; the handrail is a hold inside the car.
Public, clinic, or home
The same use case fits an office building, a clinic, or a multi-level home — if the shaft and doors can take wheelchair entry.
A full cabin, not an open platform
Travel is in a shaft with doors and a closed cabin. That is different from a stairlift or a platform on the staircase.
Limits
Not a hospital stretcher lift
An access cabin sized for a wheelchair does not have bed or stretcher depth. If a bed must move, that is a separate hospital path.
A stairlift is not a substitute
A platform or chair on the stairs has no full cabin and is not usually treated as the same access provision as a public-building elevator.
An existing shaft may be too tight
A four-person passenger car does not automatically have enough opening and floor for a wheelchair. Doors or the shaft sometimes have to change — the survey shows that, not the catalog.
Dimensions are not locked from a brochure
Wheelchair type — manual or powered, chair size — and the path to the door move the number. Do not treat a standard millimetre as an install commitment without a survey.
Better to name the limits in the first meeting. It is not a stretcher lift; it is not a stairlift; a tight shaft is not made accessible by a standard cabin. Dimensions lock after the survey and the wheelchair type.
Choosing a use case
Wheelchair access or standard passenger — which fits your project?
If the goal is wheelchair entry, do not substitute a standard passenger lift; door width, floor area, and button height differ. If a bed or stretcher must move, that is a separate hospital path — an access elevator does not replace a stretcher lift.
Purpose
Wheelchair / access
Wheelchair entry in public, clinic, or residential buildings
Standard passenger
Everyday passenger travel without a wheelchair-access brief
Door width and cabin area
Wheelchair / access
Opening and floor for wheelchair entry and manoeuvre — locked after survey
Standard passenger
Typical passenger size; not automatically enough for a wheelchair
Controls and handrail
Wheelchair / access
Button height usable from a wheelchair; continuous cabin handrail
Standard passenger
Panel at typical standing height; a handrail is not always required
Bed and stretcher
Wheelchair / access
Does not replace a stretcher lift; cabin depth is not enough for a bed
Standard passenger
A stretcher lift is separate — go hospital if a bed must move
Read the table against your building. A four-stop apartment with no wheelchair path is usually a passenger lift. The same building, if the entrance must take a wheelchair, changes door width, floor, and buttons. Do not label a clinic or public hall “accessible” with a standard cabin. If a bed is in play, open the hospital page — do not mix the two uses.
Project path
From survey to wheelchair elevator handover
A wheelchair-elevator install does not start with picking a cabin finish. First we see the shaft, the path to the door, wheelchair type, clear opening, and panel placement. Without those measurements, two quotes cannot be compared.
- 01
Survey and lock access dimensions
Shaft survey, wheelchair path, chair type, door width, panel height, and drive selection.
- 02
Design and quote
Execution drawings, cabin and door selection, handrail and controls, and a transparent phased quote.
- 03
Supply and installation
Rails, doors, cabin, and drive install; handrail and panel set per approved drawings.
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Testing and handover
Safety tests, leveling, seated-height button reach, inspection prep, and owner handover briefing.
After the survey, drawings and a phased quote follow: design, supply, install, handover. Exact timing depends on shaft readiness and equipment lead time. At testing we separately check leveling and panel reach. Handover means the lift works and inspection paperwork is moving — not just a cabin on rails.
How quotes are built
How is wheelchair elevator pricing calculated?
There is no fixed wheelchair-elevator price. Two “access” cars can get very different quotes; usually one has a wider door and a tighter shaft, the other a different drive or stop count.
- Door width and cabin size
- Clear opening and cabin floor lock with the wheelchair type and move doors, rails, and structure.
- Stops and travel
- Stop count and travel height set the drive and rail length.
- Drive system
- Hydraulic or traction is chosen apart from the access brief — depending on height, overhead, and traffic.
- Panel, handrail, doors
- Control height, handrail, and landing-door type are part of the access quote — not decoration after the contract.
- Public or residential
- Public buildings and clinics usually have a different inspection path and equipment set than a private home.
- Shaft and site access
- Existing vs new shaft, the wheelchair path to the door, and equipment delivery move the number. Accurate quotes only after a survey.
We write the number after the survey. Wheelchair type changes floor and doors; stops sit on the drive; handrail and panel go into the quote there. If you only heard a lump sum, ask whether door width, leveling, and shaft steelwork are inside it.
Common wheelchair elevator questions
Before a site visit the same questions come back: what a wheelchair elevator is, how it differs from a stretcher lift, where dimensions come from, whether it fits a private home, what standard applies, price, whether a stairlift is the same. Short answers are here; numbers and drawings come after the shaft is measured.
What is a wheelchair elevator?
It is a full-cabin elevator that opens a wheelchair entry path: door width, floor area, handrail, control height, and leveling. It is a use case, not a drive type; the drive can be hydraulic or traction. It may be installed in a public building, clinic, or home.
How does it differ from a stretcher lift?
A stretcher lift must take a bed or stretcher without awkward manoeuvres; cabin depth is much greater. A wheelchair elevator is for wheelchair entry and does not replace bed transport. If a clinic needs both, they are designed as two separate uses.
What are wheelchair elevator dimensions?
We do not publish a fixed figure on this page. Door width and cabin floor lock after the shaft survey and the intended wheelchair — manual or powered, chair size. Access standards are a design reference; we do not quote millimetres as install law without an official clause and without measuring the shaft.
Is it suitable for a private home?
Yes, if the shaft or a new hoistway can take a full cabin and a door wide enough for wheelchair entry. Multi-level homes and villas often pair with a low-rise drive. Do not swap this for a stairlift; a platform on the stairs is not a full cabin.
What standard applies to a wheelchair elevator?
Access design refers to national standards and elevator safety rules; after the survey the engineer puts the relevant clauses on the drawings. We do not quote EN or national millimetres here as page-law — without an official clause and without measuring the shaft they are not an install commitment.
How much does a wheelchair elevator cost?
There is no fixed price. It depends on door width, cabin size, stops, drive, handrail and panel, and whether the shaft is existing or new. Atlas Asanbar Arsh gives a transparent quote after survey. If you only heard a lump sum, ask whether the wide door, leveling, and shaft steelwork are inside it.
Is a stairlift the same as a wheelchair elevator?
No. A stairlift or platform on the staircase has no full cabin and no closed shaft; the path stays open. A wheelchair elevator has a cabin, doors, and travel in a hoistway. Do not treat them as the same — especially in a public building.
Related types
If a wheelchair elevator is not the right fit
If a bed or stretcher must move, look at hospital. If the apartment has no wheelchair brief, residential. If it is a low-rise house or villa, home-villa.
Hospital / stretcher elevator
A hospital or stretcher elevator is a building use, not a drive system. The cabin needs more depth and a wider door so a bed or stretcher plus an attendant can enter without a hard turn. Hydraulic or traction is chosen separately. Atlas Asanbar Arsh designs and installs in Tehran, Karaj, and cities across northern Iran.
Residential elevator
A residential elevator here means the shared lift in an apartment building or complex — not a villa home-lift. Lock capacity, stops, and resident traffic before cabin finish. The drive can be traction, MRL, or hydraulic, depending on height and the shaft. Atlas Asanbar Arsh designs and installs in Tehran, Karaj, and cities across northern Iran.
Villa / home elevator
A villa elevator — often sold as a homelift or home elevator — is for a private house, duplex, or villa, not a shared apartment shaft. In Iran those labels usually overlap; measure the shaft before you compare package names. Atlas Asanbar Arsh designs and installs in Tehran, Karaj, and cities across northern Iran.
Related resources
Wheelchair elevator guides and related services
Once the access use case is clear, continue from here to installation, the hospital stretcher lift, villa elevators, or the types index.
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