Norway TEK17: Lift Requirements and Universell Utforming Explained

1.1 m × 2.1 m. That is the minimum inside size of at least one lift cab per entrance in a Norwegian public building, workplace or residential building of 3 or more storeys, per TEK17 §12-3(1)(a) and (2)(a). Here is what architects and engineers need to know about the TEK17 lift and universell utforming requirements. Source: the TEK17 text and guidance on dibk.no as held in our library; check the change history on each section page, as DiBK updates the guidance.

Key numbers at a glance

What is TEK17 and who does it apply to?

TEK17 (Byggteknisk forskrift) is Norway’s national technical building regulation. Chapter 12 covers layout and universal design (planløsning og universell utforming). Municipal building authorities enforce it. Section 1-2 lists buildings that are exempt from parts of the regulation, among them farm buildings, small detached dwellings up to 30 m² BRA, holiday homes with one unit, and student housing (§1-2(6) and (7)).

The core principle of chapter 12 is universell utforming: public buildings (byggverk for publikum) and workplaces (arbeidsbygninger) must be usable by everyone, including people with reduced mobility, sight or hearing, unless the building or part of it is unsuitable for people with disabilities because of its function (§12-1(2)). Residential buildings follow a parallel framework in §12-2 and §12-3.

What does universell utforming require?

Under §12-1(2), public buildings and workplaces must be universally designed as the regulation’s provisions set out, unless the building or part of it is unsuitable for people with disabilities because of its function. DiBK’s guidance gives a fire station as an example: the response unit may be judged unsuitable, but the administrative unit is not. An unsuitability finding must be documented, with what is unsuitable and what follows for universal design.

For dwellings, §12-2(1) requires that dwellings in a building with a lift requirement have all main functions on the dwelling’s entrance level (inngangsplan), and that the entrance level is accessible. Under §12-2(2), in a building with a lift requirement, it is enough that at least 50 percent of the dwellings up to 50 m² BRA meet the accessible-dwelling requirement and the bathroom and toilet design in §12-9(1). The exemption applies to the accessible-dwelling requirement; the building’s lift requirement in §12-3 is a separate test. The guidance adds that in a building where every dwelling falls under the exemption, accessibility requirements for the common functions fall away too.

Student housing has its own exemptions in §1-2(6) and (7). They apply to student housing built by student welfare organisations or with state grants, and to other student housing with a recorded 20-year lien for student rental.

When is a lift required under TEK17?

Public buildings and workplaces with two or more storeys need a lift (§12-3(1)). Buildings with three or more storeys that contain a dwelling need one (§12-3(2)). Within §12-3(1), a lift platform (løfteplattform) can replace the lift in buildings of up to three storeys with little traffic.

For the storey count, §12-3(4) removes the §6-1(a) to (c) exceptions. DiBK’s guidance says every measurable level counts, including basement, mezzanine and loft. A 2-storey office over a parking basement therefore counts as three storeys for the lift test. Where a building has all its parking in the basement, the basement is treated as the entrance level for the dwellings, so a lift is required in a building of at least three storeys even if the way up from the upper entrance is one storey.

The residential requirement does not apply to detached small houses with one dwelling (§12-3(3)(a)), or where access from the building’s entrance area to the dwelling goes over at most one storey (§12-3(3)(b)). DiBK’s guidance notes that this means a single storey of up to 3.3 m up or down from the entrance. Mixed buildings must be assessed under both paragraphs. The guidance gives examples: a two-storey building with business premises on the ground floor and a dwelling above needs no lift, but one with a dwelling below and business premises above does.

A lift is still required in a three-storey building even if every third-storey dwelling is exempt from accessibility under §12-2, according to DiBK’s Q&A on §12-3.

What size must the lift cab be?

Cab size depends on storey count and building type.

• Public buildings and workplaces, 3 or more storeys: at least one lift cab with an inside size of at least 1.1 m × 2.1 m, §12-3(1)(a). The size is set by stretcher transport.
• Public buildings and workplaces, 2 storeys: at least one cab of at least 1.1 m × 1.6 m, §12-3(1)(b).
• Lift platform replacing a lift, public buildings and workplaces: at least 1.1 m × 1.6 m, §12-3(1)(c), in buildings of up to three storeys with little traffic. DiBK’s pre-accepted performance defines little traffic as use equal to at most 12 workplaces; that figure is guidance, not the regulation text.
• Buildings with dwellings, 3 or more storeys: at least one cab of at least 1.1 m × 2.1 m, §12-3(2)(a).
• Lift platform in a three-storey building with dwellings: at most six dwellings served, at least 1.1 m × 1.4 m, §12-3(2)(b).

The guidance accepts that where several lifts serve the same floors at the same entrance, one lift meets the minimum 1.1 m × 2.1 m and the others can be 1.1 m × 1.4 m. If the building has several entrances with lifts, each entrance needs one cab of the full size. The door of a minimum-size cab goes on the short side.

What should designers check?

1. Counting storeys without §12-3(4). Basements, mezzanines and lofts all count for the lift test. A team using the architectural floor count may under-specify the lift.

2. Using the §12-2(2) unit exemption to avoid the lift. The exemption concerns accessible-dwelling fit-out. The lift requirement applies regardless.

3. Substituting a lift platform where traffic is high. The platform is for little traffic, in buildings up to three storeys. DiBK’s guidance says it is unsuitable where many people use it daily or visitor numbers are unpredictable, and gives station buildings as an example.

4. Applying standard residential rules to student housing. Check the §1-2(6) and (7) conditions, because the exemptions apply only to the housing those paragraphs describe.

How do TEK17 cab sizes compare with Germany and the US?

Minimum inside cab sizes in the sources we hold:

The triggers differ by country, and national and state rules add to these standards. Check the applicable local rule.