Structural walls in Revit are walls placed with the Wall: Structural command on the Structure tab. They carry load, host reinforcement and reach the concrete quantity schedule just like columns and beams. Their most common job in a building is the elevator core: four concrete walls around a lift shaft, with one door opening per storey.
This article builds a four-storey elevator core in Revit 2027.2 with the English interface: create the wall type, draw the core, cut the lift door, paste it to the upper levels and check the quantities. For the whole structural modelling and documentation workflow, see the Revit Structure course.
Why elevator shaft walls must be structural walls
The core walls are the main lateral load-resisting element in many buildings. Model them as architectural walls and the model still looks right, but every number downstream is wrong. The table uses the sample core: 2200 × 2200 clear, 200 mm walls, from 1F (±0.00) to RF (+14.00).
| Situation | Sample core figure | What goes wrong if done badly |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete schedule of the walls | 24.944 m³ for four storeys, four door openings deducted | Core walls mix with masonry in the Walls schedule and cannot be filtered by the Structural tick |
| Wall reinforcement | Properties shows three Rebar Cover rows | Architectural walls do not host rebar |
| A 1100 × 2200 lift door opening | Each door removes 0.484 m³ of concrete | A door drawn as 2D lines deducts nothing and the section is not cut |
| Pasting walls to upper levels | 27.920 m³ before the fix, 24.944 m³ after | 2.976 m³ counted twice, about 12 %, unless Top Offset is fixed |
| Changing a level height | Raise 2F by 300 and the door grows from 2200 to 2500 | The opening is tied to the level above |
The last two rows are Revit traps of their own, covered in Step 7 and Step 9.
How structural walls differ from architectural walls
Revit has two Wall buttons on two different tabs. The one on the Architecture tab builds enclosing walls; the one on the Structure tab builds load-bearing walls.
Pick Wall: Structural and scroll the Properties palette down to the Structural group.
| Wall: Structural | Wall: Architectural | |
|---|---|---|
| Structural tick | On, greyed out while placing | Off |
| Structural Usage | Bearing | No structural role |
| Rebar Cover rows | Three rows, can host rebar | Cannot host rebar |
| Default direction | Depth: drawn from the plan level down to the level below | Drawn up from the plan level |
The last row is what catches most people placing structural walls in Revit. Start Wall: Structural in the 2F plan and the wall runs down to 1F by default, the same way a structural column hangs below its plan.
Build the elevator core with Wall: Structural
Step 1 — Create a 200 mm wall type
- Start Wall: Structural, pick any basic wall type in the Type Selector and click Edit Type.
- Click Duplicate and name it after the thickness, for example VC200.
- Click Edit on the Structure row. Keep exactly one layer with Function Structure [1], Thickness 200 and a cast-in-place concrete material.
A single layer keeps the concrete schedule equal to the wall volume. Plaster and finishes belong to the architectural model.
Step 2 — Choose the direction and level on the ribbon
Revit 2027 puts the placement options straight onto the Modify | Place Structural Wall contextual tab.
In the 2F plan, Depth is highlighted and the level box reads 1F: the wall will run from 1F up to 2F. To draw upwards instead, click Height and pick the top level.
Step 3 — Set the Location Line and the top constraint
| Property | Value for elevator shaft walls |
|---|---|
| Location Line | Core Centerline, so the core is dimensioned on the concrete centreline |
| Base Constraint | The level at the foot of the wall, for example 1F |
| Top Constraint | Up to level of the storey above, for example 2F, so the wall follows level changes |
The sample core uses one wall per storey: 1F–2F, 2F–3F and so on. Each storey is one concrete pour, so schedules and reinforcement by storey match the site. A single wall from foundation to roof is possible, but its quantities cannot be split by storey.
Step 4 — Draw the four core walls with the rectangle tool
- On the Draw panel, pick the rectangle tool.
- Click one corner of the core and then the opposite corner, on the wall centrelines. The sample core is 2400 × 2400 on centrelines, leaving 2200 × 2200 clear.
- Click Modify to leave the command.
The rectangle tool creates four separate walls in one go, with the corners already joined. The four 1F–2F walls of the sample core total 7.488 m³: a 9.6 m centreline perimeter × 0.2 m thick × 3.9 m high.
Cut the lift door opening with Wall Opening
Step 5 — Open a view that faces the wall
The command that cuts a wall is the Wall button on the Opening panel of the Structure tab, full name Wall Opening.
The tooltip states two things: the opening is drawn in a view that shows the wall surface, such as an elevation or a section; and in walls the command only cuts rectangles. Autodesk's page Cut a Rectangular Opening in a Wall describes the same workflow.
So before cutting, create a section parallel to the wall that gets the door, looking straight at its face. The sample core uses a section named MẶT CẮT LÕI THANG MÁY at 1 : 50.
Step 6 — Pick the wall and draw two corners
- On the Structure tab, Opening panel, click Wall.
- Click the wall to cut.
- Click the first corner of the opening at the foot of the wall, then the diagonally opposite corner.
After the first corner Revit prompts Enter diagonal point of rectangular opening and shows temporary dimensions. Once one opening is cut the command waits for the next; press Esc twice to leave.
An opening drawn with the mouse is usually a few millimetres off, such as 1095.3 × 2201 in the image. Select it again, click the temporary dimension and type the real value. For an 1100 door centred in a 2200 clear core, the distance from each jamb to the inside face of the side walls is 550.
Step 7 — Set the door height with Unconnected Height
Select the opening; Properties shows five constraint rows.
An opening drawn with the mouse in a section usually receives Top Constraint Up to level: 2F with Top Offset −1700. The head of the door is tied to the level above, not to its own sill.
| Top of opening | Raise 2F by 300 | Door height afterwards |
|---|---|---|
| Up to level: 2F, Top Offset −1700 | The head follows 2F | 2500, wrong |
| Unconnected, Unconnected Height 2200 | The head stays put | 2200, right |
A lift door has a fixed height set by the equipment; it does not grow with the storey. Set Top Constraint to Unconnected, Unconnected Height to 2200, Base Constraint to the floor level and Base Offset to 0.
Wall Opening, Edit Profile or a door family
Select a wall and the Modify | Walls tab offers both ways to cut it.
| Method | Use it for | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Wall Opening | Rectangular holes: lift doors, duct sleeves, service openings | A separate element you can select and edit; it travels with the wall when copied |
| Edit Profile | Round or polygonal holes, walls with a sloped top | Edits the wall outline directly, one wall at a time |
| Lift door family | Architectural drawings that need the door symbol and frame | Architectural work, placed into the structural opening |
In a structural model, Wall Opening is the cleanest way to cut a lift door.
Paste the elevator shaft walls to the upper levels
Step 8 — Copy the four walls and the door to 2F, 3F, 4F
- Select the four 1F–2F walls and the opening, press Ctrl+C.
- On the Clipboard panel, click the arrow under Paste and choose Aligned to Selected Levels.
- In the Select Levels box, Shift-select 2F, 3F and 4F and click OK.
The opening travels with its host wall. Each storey gets an 1100 × 2200 opening on its own floor level, because the top was set to Unconnected in Step 7. Repeating a whole storey with slabs, beams and columns is covered in typical floors in Revit.
Step 9 — Fix the Top Offset of the pasted walls
After pasting, Revit raises a string of Highlighted walls overlap warnings. Select the four 2F walls to see why.
Revit keeps the 3900 height of the original wall. The 2F–3F storey is only 3600 high, so Revit sets Up to level: 3F with a Top Offset of 300. The 4F–RF storey is 2900 high, so the Top Offset is 1000. Each storey's walls poke up into the walls above.
| Storey | Storey height | Wall height after pasting | Top Offset added by Revit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2F–3F | 3600 | 3900 | 300 |
| 3F–4F | 3600 | 3900 | 300 |
| 4F–RF | 2900 | 3900 | 1000 |
The core concrete now reads 27.920 m³, 2.976 m³ too much. Select all the pasted walls and set Top Offset to 0. The warnings disappear and the volume drops back to 24.944 m³.
Step 10 — Check the core in a three-dimensional view
The finished core has 16 walls and 4 openings, 24.944 m³ of concrete in total. That matches a hand check: 9.6 m centreline perimeter × 0.2 m × 14.0 m = 26.88 m³, minus 4 doors × 0.484 m³ = 1.936 m³. The lift shaft hole through the slabs uses Shaft, covered in structural floors in Revit.
When it does not work
| Symptom | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Wall Opening will not pick the wall | You are in a plan that does not cut the wall. Open a section or elevation facing the wall |
| You need a round hole but Wall Opening only draws rectangles | In walls the command cuts rectangles only. Select the wall, click Edit Profile and draw the circle inside the outline |
| The wall runs down to the level below | Wall: Structural defaults to Depth. Click Height on the Levels panel before drawing |
| Pasting to levels raises Highlighted walls overlap | The pasted walls keep their original height and Revit adds Top Offset. Set Top Offset to 0 |
| The lift door grows when a level changes | The top of the opening is Up to level. Switch to Unconnected, Unconnected Height 2200 |
Frequently asked questions
Can a structural wall be switched to an architectural wall and back?
Yes. Select the wall and tick or untick Structural in the Structural group of Properties. The type stays the same; only the role changes.
Should a lift door be cut with Wall Opening or placed as a door family?
The structural model uses Wall Opening so the wall is really cut and the concrete is deducted. The door family belongs to the architectural model, placed into that opening.
Should an elevator core be one wall per storey or one wall all the way up?
One wall per storey matches the concrete pours, so quantities and reinforcement split by storey. One continuous wall is quicker to model but cannot be split by storey.
Why does the opening not show in plan?
The plan's cut plane does not pass through it. For an opening 2200 high from the floor, the cut plane must sit below 2200.
Related articles
- Structural floors in Revit — slabs and the Shaft hole for the lift well
- Typical floors in Revit — repeating one storey up the building
- How to draw walls in Revit — enclosing walls from the architectural side
- Concrete quantities in Revit — scheduling the volume of walls, slabs, beams and columns
- What is Revit Structure — the entry point to this whole series