FDS Consult UK’s fire engineers share expert insights on the newly released BS EN 81-76:2025, the British Standard set to transform how we design lifts for evacuation in high-rise and complex buildings.
This overview explains what the standard covers, why it matters for project planning and fire strategies, and how FDS Consult UK can help developers and contractors navigate compliance from design through to approval.
What is BS EN 81-76:2025?
BS EN 81-76:2025 is the latest standard “Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts – Particular applications for passenger and goods passenger lifts – Evacuation of persons with disabilities using lifts.” In essence, it provides specific requirements for using lifts during the evacuation of persons with disabilities.
These standard forms part of the wider BS EN 81 series (the core safety standards for lifts) and replaces the earlier 2011 technical specification, reflecting continued developments in accessibility and safety within the built environment. Importantly, BSI notes that “this is the first European standard specifying a lift which might be used for the evacuation of persons with disabilities,” a significant shift from the traditional instruction that occupants should never use lifts during a fire.
n practical terms, BS EN 81-76:2025 introduces a formal framework for “evacuation lifts,” including two classes of such lifts (Class A and Class B) tailored to different building scenarios.
Class A evacuation lifts are intended for simpler building types (for example, a residential building where only one designated evacuation floor and no firefighter lift is required), whereas Class B lifts are equipped for more complex situations, with additional controls and provisions to handle multiple floors or where a full firefighter lift is also present.
By defining these classes and detailed design features, the standard “mirrors current approaches to accessibility, evacuation planning, and fire safety” in modern buildings. Professionals involved in lift design, installation, and facilities management are encouraged to review and adopt this updated standard to ensure compliance and to support safe evacuation planning.
Why This New Standard Matters for Planning and Fire Strategy
The release of BS EN 81-76:2025 is more than just a routine update – it marks a pivotal advancement in inclusive fire safety strategy. Before this, UK building guidance did not mandate evacuation lifts; providing a lift for emergency egress was largely a design choice.
Now, however, there is a major shift in that evacuation lifts are now seen as essential for life safety in certain circumstances. Recent fire safety codes like BS 9991:2024 (which guides residential building design) have, for the first time, introduced requirements for evacuation lifts in high-rise residential buildings. BS 9991:2024 explicitly references the development of EN 81-76 and anticipates that designers will adopt the new standard’s detailed provisions once published.
In short, regulators and industry bodies are aligning on the expectation that new buildings – especially taller or more complex ones – will incorporate evacuation lift capability as part of their fire strategy.
Evacuation Lift Planning
From a project planning perspective, this means developers and design teams need to integrate evacuation lift considerations from the earliest stages. BS EN 81-76:2025 supports the broader push towards inclusive evacuation planning, ensuring that people with mobility or sensory impairments are not left behind during emergencies.
This comes at a time of heightened focus on vulnerable occupants’ safety – for example, new regulations will soon require Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) in high-rise buildings, obliging building owners to plan how disabled and vulnerable residents will escape in a fire.
The new lift standard complements these legal duties by providing a clear method to enable safe egress for those who cannot use stairs. It aligns with wider fire and life safety objectives, including the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry to improve evacuation options for all building users.
BS EN 81-76:2025 in Practice
In practical terms, BS EN 81-76:2025 matters because it bridges a crucial gap: it turns the concept of using lifts for evacuation from an innovative idea into a codified, accepted practice. This gives project teams a solid technical foundation to include evacuation lifts as part of a holistic fire strategy, and it gives approval authorities confidence that such designs are backed by a recognised standard.
For developers and contractors, being aware of this standard is now key – it can influence design decisions like core layouts, electrical provisions, and fire safety system integration. Ignoring it could risk non-compliance with emerging regulations or require costly redesigns later. Embracing it early, on the other hand, helps future-proof projects against evolving safety expectations.
Early Design Implications for Developers and Contractors
Implementing an evacuation lift is not as simple as labeling an existing lift for emergency use – it requires careful planning and building integration.
BS EN 81-76:2025 makes it clear that a safe evacuation lift’s performance depends on how well it is integrated into the building’s overall fire protection scheme. This demands collaboration between multiple parties: lift specialists, architects, fire engineers, electrical engineers, and contractors must work together to ensure both the lift and the building infrastructure are designed in tandem.
Key building provisions need to be addressed in early design, for example:
- Protected Shafts and Lobbies: The lift shaft and its lobbies will typically need to form a protected enclosure with fire-resisting construction and, in some cases, smoke ventilation or pressurisation systems, much like a firefighters’ lift shaft. There may also need to be a designated temporary waiting area adjacent to the lift on each floor (often at least 1500 x 2100 mm of clear space) where wheelchair users or other persons can wait for the lift in relative safety. Providing this requires allocating floor space and incorporating it into the architectural layout early on.
- Secondary Power Supply: To be reliable in an emergency, an evacuation lift typically needs a backup power source in case the mains power fails. This could mean a generator or an independent supply feed, especially in buildings over a certain height. Early coordination with electrical engineers is needed to plan for generators, UPS systems, or dual power feeds, and space for this equipment.
- Lift Capacity and Number: Determining how many evacuation lifts are required, and of what size, is a crucial early decision. The standard advises assessing occupant capacity and the needs of likely users to decide the number and size of lifts. For instance, a high-rise with multiple cores might need one evacuation lift per core or stair, whereas a large floorplate with many occupants who require assistance might justify multiple or larger evacuation lifts. BS EN 81-76:2025 provides guidance (including Annexes for capacity assessment) to inform these decisions. Engaging a fire engineer early can help analyse evacuation scenarios and ensure the lift provision is sufficient for the building’s population.
- Controls and Communication Systems: Evacuation lifts come with additional control features and interfaces with the building’s fire alarm system. Design teams will need to incorporate fire alarm signals that can recall lifts and trigger evacuation modes when needed. Decisions are required on whether the lift will operate automatically during evacuation (stopping at floors where help is needed) or under the management of an evacuation assistant (driver-assisted mode). The standard covers optional modes for both approaches, and this choice will affect the lift control programming and possibly staffing plans during an emergency. Additionally, an emergency voice communication system (EVCS) must be in place – not only inside the lift car (for passengers to communicate with a fire warden or building control room) but also at the waiting areas on each floor, and these systems must be interoperable yet separate from any firefighters’ communication system. Such requirements mean extra coordination with life safety systems suppliers (alarm, comms, BMS) during design.
- Combined Firefighting and Evacuation Lifts: In some cases, especially in tall buildings, a single lift might be designed to serve both as a firefighters’ lift and an evacuation lift. BS EN 81-76:2025 allows this (indeed, Class B evacuation lifts in complex buildings could also be firefighting lifts), but it imposes strict criteria if a lift is to fulfill both roles. The building’s fire strategy needs to clarify whether one lift can serve dual purposes or if separate lifts are required for evacuation and firefighting. Early consultation with fire authorities and building control on this point is advisable, since it affects shaft design, water protection, and control logic.
Developers and Contractors
For developers and contractors, these implications highlight the importance of embedding evacuation lift considerations at RIBA Stage 2 or 3 (concept and developed design) at the latest. You may need to adjust core designs to fit a larger lift car (for example, the standard suggests a minimum car size of 1100 x 1400 mm with a 900 mm wide door to accommodate wheelchairs and possibly stretchers) and plan for features like fire-rated lift doors and lobby layouts.
There could also be program and procurement impacts – as the Lift and Escalator Industry Association cautions, “significant lead times are to be expected for new evacuation lifts” given that manufacturers will need to develop fully compliant solutions, and buildings must provide the required supporting features.
In practice, this means engaging with lift suppliers early, so that by the time construction is underway, the specified lift model meets BS EN 81-76 and any necessary third-party certification or conformity assessments are in progress. Rushing this late in a project could result in delays or compromises, so early action is a wise strategy.
Crucially, the standard itself advises project teams to liaise with all relevant parties and allow adequate time after publication for suitable solutions to become available.
In other words, don’t treat evacuation lifts as an afterthought, start the conversation now. By doing so, developers can avoid expensive retrofit scenarios and contractors can integrate the requirements smoothly into their build programmes. Early incorporation of these measures also makes the eventual approval process more straightforward, as the design will clearly align with the latest best practices in fire safety.
Navigating Compliance: How FDS Consult UK Can Assist
Designing a compliant evacuation lift strategy involves multidisciplinary knowledge – from understanding the minutiae of BS EN 81-76:2025 to applying building regulations like Approved Document B, BS 9991, and beyond. This is where FDS Consult UK’s expertise becomes invaluable.
As a leading fire safety engineering consultancy, we specialize in developing fire strategies that marry regulatory compliance with practical, innovative design solutions. Our team stays at the forefront of code developments and standards updates, allowing us to serve as trusted advisors to developers and contractors navigating new requirements.
From concept design through to final approval, FDS Consult UK can guide you through compliance with BS EN 81-76:2025.
Here’s how we help at each stage:
- Early Strategy and Design Development: At the project’s outset, our fire engineers will assess whether evacuation lifts are needed (based on building height, usage, and occupant profiles) and, if so, determine the optimal number, class, and configuration of lifts. We provide a holistic fire strategy that considers how the evacuation lift works in concert with other safety measures – from detection and alarms through to occupant evacuation plans. At FDS Consult UK, we believe each fire safety measure should not only stand alone but function as part of a larger, integrated scheme. We ensure the evacuation lift is embedded in this larger scheme. For example, we’ll define requirements for the protected lobby design, the electrical backup, and the fire alarm interfaces as part of the fire strategy document, so nothing is overlooked by the design team.
- Design Coordination and Collaboration: Given the collaborative nature of implementing evacuation lifts, we take an active role in working with your architects, lift consultants, M&E engineers, and other stakeholders. Our consultancy can facilitate workshops or design reviews focused on the evacuation lift integration – checking that structural provisions (shaft fire ratings, door sizes, etc.) and services (power supply capacity, ventilation shafts for smoke control, communication lines) all meet the standard’s expectations. We draw on the standard’s guidance to inform these discussions – for instance, using Annex C of BS EN 81-76 to advise on building-related conditions and spatial needs, or Annex B for operational mode decisions. By liaising early with all parties, FDS helps prevent costly missteps and ensures everyone understands their responsibilities in delivering a compliant evacuation lift system.
- Performance-Based Solutions and Flexibility: Every project is unique. In cases where strict prescriptive compliance might be challenging (due to architectural constraints or retrofit projects), FDS Consult UK can explore engineered solutions. For example, if a full secondary power supply (Class B lift) is infeasible in a certain development, we can strategise on how a Class A evacuation lift (with alternative safeguards) could be acceptable, and communicate this effectively to approval authorities. Our deep familiarity with the intent behind BS EN 81-76:2025 allows us to propose solutions that meet the spirit of the standard even if some letter details need a performance-based approach. We always aim to maintain safety equivalence and will document the rationale thoroughly in fire engineering reports.
- Approval and Regulatory Liaison: Navigating building control, fire authority, and planning requirements is part of our end-to-end service. We incorporate BS EN 81-76:2025 compliance into Fire Strategy Reports and Fire Statements (for Planning Gateway One, if applicable), clearly demonstrating how the design meets the new standard. Because BS EN 81-76 is so new, not all regulators or project stakeholders may be fully familiar with its specifics – FDS can serve as the knowledge bridge, explaining the design decisions in light of the standard’s provisions. Our reports will cite the relevant clauses and provide the justification needed to give authorities confidence. From obtaining Building Regulations approval to satisfying any client insurance or fire officer concerns, we support you through the sign-off process. By having FDS Consult UK on board, developers and contractors can be assured that compliance isn’t just a box-ticking exercise but a well-documented outcome of a robust design process.
Aligning Evacuation Lifts with Broader Fire & Life Safety Goals
BS EN 81-76:2025 doesn’t exist in a vacuum – it aligns with a wider cultural and regulatory shift towards holistic life safety and inclusivity in building design. The core philosophy is simple: everyone in a building, regardless of mobility or disability, deserves a safe means of escape during an emergency.
Historically, building designs often relied on a “stay put” strategy for those unable to use stairs, with the assumption that fire and rescue services would assist them if needed. While firefighting interventions remain critical, modern thinking – spurred in part by tragic events and the subsequent inquiries – has challenged us to do better at the design stage to facilitate self-evacuation wherever possible.
The introduction of a dedicated evacuation lift standard is a concrete step toward that goal. It complements requirements like providing refuge spaces and PEEPs by adding the mechanism to get people out efficiently and safely.
Impact on Developers
From a developer’s viewpoint, this can also enhance the value proposition of a building: a high-rise with well-integrated evacuation lifts and comprehensive fire safety features can be marketed as a building that goes above and beyond minimum compliance, prioritizing occupant well-being.
Impact on Occupants
For occupants and society at large, it means greater peace of mind – knowing that a plan exists for everyone, including those with disabilities, to evacuate without waiting indefinitely for rescue. It also aligns with equality and discrimination legislation (e.g. the Equality Act in the UK) by ensuring buildings are designed with the needs of persons with reduced mobility in mind, not as an afterthought.
Impact on Fire Engineering
From a fire engineering perspective, evacuation lifts are part of a broader strategy to reduce evacuation times and improve outcomes in complex buildings. When implemented correctly, they can significantly cut down the time required to evacuate those who might otherwise need assistance on stairs, thus relieving pressure on rescue services and potentially making the overall evacuation more efficient.
They are not a standalone solution – they work in concert with sprinkler systems (to keep fires in check while evacuation is underway), fire alarms and voice communication (to manage the process and reassure users), and structural fire resistance (to protect the lift and waiting areas from heat and smoke).
BS EN 81-76:2025 Benefits
In the bigger picture, BS EN 81-76:2025 helps tie these elements together by specifying the lift’s role within the fire strategy. It’s an embodiment of the principle that fire and life safety engineering is about the entire system working together, something FDS Consult UK emphasises in all our projects.
Finally, it’s worth noting that adopting evacuation lifts and the new standard is not just about compliance – it is about leadership in safety. Authorities like the National Fire Chiefs Council and industry groups are likely to look at how widely and effectively these new measures are being implemented.
Early adopters among developers will set the benchmark, and those benchmarks could inform future codes and possibly even insurance criteria. In other words, embracing BS EN 81-76:2025 is a chance to be ahead of the curve, demonstrating a commitment to best practice and duty of care.
We at FDS Consult UK view it as a positive and necessary evolution – one that we are excited to help our clients lead in their own projects.
