Sesame Access Knowledge Hub | Bespoke Lift Engineering & Site-Specific Solutions

A people-first guide to designing a bespoke platform lift above an active air extraction void, with practical insight into pit depth, volumetric modelling, drainage coordination, and why independent step design can protect both accessibility and building services.

This Knowledge Hub guide explains how a constrained heritage entrance can still achieve straight-route wheelchair access when the available envelope is only 1480mm between the façade line and the pavement vault wall. It covers the “1400mm golden number”, why 90-degree travel is often a poor autonomy outcome, how small threshold moves (30–35mm) remove pinch hazards, and how limited vault wall shaving (around 50mm) can unlock a safer, simpler solution.

When a listed building entrance has a 340mm level difference and tight pavement constraints, ramps are not always the best solution. This article explores hidden platform lift alternatives, pit depth considerations, drainage planning and four bespoke product options that preserve heritage architecture while delivering compliant wheelchair access.

This article documents Docket No. 24-V-358 as a regulatory case study: why ASME A18.1-2003 created conflicts for a lever-supported viewing platform VPL with no upper exit, how ASME A18.1-2020 provisions were used only to support two equivalency arguments, and what conditions the Board attached that became part of inspection and Permit to Operate obligations.

This Knowledge Hub page defines fully enclosed, partially enclosed, and non-enclosed liftways (shafts/runways) in plain English, then explains why EN 81-41 can only be claimed where the liftway is fully enclosed. It clarifies how BS 6440 and ASME A18.1 support open and partially enclosed liftway concepts using guarding and access-control strategies, and sets out how compliant open lift designs in Europe and internationally are delivered through a structured Machinery Directive Annex VIII risk-assessment and technical file route. It also highlights Sesame Access’s strength in combining relevant safety requirements across standards to engineer bespoke, heritage-friendly lifts that remain safe, defensible, and approval-ready when local standards do not directly cover open liftways.

This Knowledge Hub article explains why a 100 mm roll-off guard (toe guard) cannot be used as fall protection for standing users on a vertical platform lift. It focuses on EN ISO 12100 risk reduction hierarchy, DS/EN 81-41:2024 intent, Danish building and workplace law (BR18, BEK 461), and enforcement expectations from Arbejdstilsynet and product oversight bodies. It includes a decision framework, a safeguarding selection matrix, and practical specification guidance for design-sensitive projects.

This Knowledge Hub article explains the roll-off guard concept in BS 6440:2011, why CSA B355 has no direct prescriptive equivalent, and how Canadian approvals work in practice. It sets out Ontario’s TSSA compliance hierarchy under O. Reg. 209/01, the realistic variance/equivalency route for non-standard guarding proposals, and when it is more strategic to choose a fully code-aligned lift concept such as the Westminster or Seattle-style barrier approach.

This guide helps Canadian public-sector project teams plan bespoke platform lifts where local approval routes, barrier requirements, and complex stair geometry shape what is feasible. It includes a go/no-go decision matrix, a product selection summary, common misconceptions, and practical steps to reduce risk before tender.

This Knowledge Hub article explains how invisible platform lifts can solve small entrance steps without major building alterations. It covers low pit depth engineering, decision-making guidance, global compliance considerations, and how Sesame Access supports international partner-led delivery for hospitality and commercial projects.

When access sites throw multiple constraints at once, the best outcome comes from mapping the real constraints, developing options in parallel, and selecting the solution that protects user experience and buildability. This article explains Sesame’s three-stage engineering process using a real enquiry example, including shallow-pit platform lifts, staircase-integrated lift concepts, and the practical decisions that keep projects moving.

This Knowledge Hub article uses real customer feedback after a Sesame installation to explain why hidden step lifts feel “invisible” in daily use, how they shape first impressions of a building, and how to decide if a concealed step lift is the best solution for your entrance. It also explains the practical planning steps needed to deliver a smooth installation programme.

This article explains how Sesame Access evaluated and secured a 36-month Bio100 Green Gas Supply Agreement, installed EV charging infrastructure, and embedded sustainability into bespoke lift engineering. It includes the technical reasoning, energy profile analysis, and practical framework behind our decision.