Ascension’s Complimentary Architectural Plan Review Service

Ascension provides free architectural plan reviews to any architects specifying an Ascension lift in their design plans.

What’s a plan review?

Ascension’s engineering department will review the given architectural plan to ensure that each identified Ascension lift will fit and operate in the building’s space. In addition, Ascension’s review will ensure that the specified lift is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as the ASME A18.1 standards.

Ascension engineers will ensure that:

• All clearances necessary for the lift’s function are met;
• All state accessibility code requirements and amendments in regard to the lift are met; and
• All federal accessibility code requirements regarding the lift are met.

Read: How the ADA Affects Renovations

Ascension’s review process

Ascension’s product specialists will forward the given architect’s plan to Ascension’s engineering department. Ascension engineers will then meet to determine if an Ascension lift is usable in the proposed scenario. Often, when determining the suitability of an Ascension lift for a given project, Ascension engineers will find the following complications during their review:

• Overhead clearances that may obstruct lift rise;
• Space restrictions that may prevent installation; and/or
• Path and landing dimensions that may prevent easy entrance and exit.

Once it is determined that an Ascension lift is viable for the given plan, Ascension engineers then review the plan for both federal and state ADA code compliance. To facilitate this process, Ascension maintains an index of each state’s enforced wheelchair lift code version, as well as the applicable federal regulations. This index is useful for ensuring full compliance across the many wheelchair lift code versions enforced throughout different states.

Although there are many requirements for compliance, several requirements that are commonly overlooked include:

• The need for upper landing gates;
• Backup power requirements;
• Proper hinging and door handle clearances; and
• Necessary operational clearance.

Read: Historic Renovations Without Alterations

What you get out of the review

After the review has been completed, Ascension will provide the given architect with a complete Ascension lift model specification, including:

• An exact lift model number;
• A lift specification drawing for inclusion in a submittals package; and
• A notice of any building design issues that would affect the lift’s installation or operation.