This building's curious elevator gives the boss a corner office on every floor (video)

Every time someone said something serious, Bat’a would resolutely say, “I see… We’ll be taking this to the next level!” and then press the button.

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Thinking about this a bit more, it occurs to me that this setup eliminates 11 other corner offices.

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On the one hand I’m glad I didn’t have to come in here and explain paternosters. On the other hand, I’m mad I didn’t get to come in here and show off that I know about paternosters. :grimacing:

There are a few operating still. They are super efficient and I rather love the idea, but of course they are also terrifying and fantastically dangerous.

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If they were truly all that dangerous, don’t you think Putin would’ve reported Prigozhin died in a paternoster accident? I mean you don’t need an upper floor window, they even work on the basement floors. It’s like a perfect little chain of murder boxes.

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When I was a student in the UK, the Sheffield University Arts Tower had one and I think it may be still functioning. It took a bit of getting used to, certainly not terrifying (unless you forgot to get off before it went over the top or under the bottom) but was as you say extremely efficient. I was there for 4 years and I recall only one accident being reported. In a 20 floor building, I wonder how that might compare to conventional lifts?

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As asked in the video - what happens if you don’t get off at the top or bottom?

The danger level seems about on par with an uncontrolled pedestrian crosswalk, maybe? Or worse?

In any case: Absolutely not wheelchair-friendly.

ETA: Wikipedia seems to suggest staying in past the top or bottom is safe, but maybe bumpy. And also says: “Their overall rate of accidents is estimated as 30 times higher than conventional elevators. A representative of the Union of Technical Inspection Associations stated that Germany saw an average of one death per year due to paternosters prior to 2002, at which point many of them were made inaccessible to the general public.”

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One death per year is indeed shocking, considering how incredibly safe normal elevators are!

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For context, “As of 2015, Germany had 231 paternosters” (same wiki page), so maybe 300-ish prior to 2002? One death per year in 300 paternosters is still alarmingly high. As you point out, when you compare that to conventional lifts, it’s a lot.

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There used to be some in Birmingham University, and, apparently, a relative amused themself by going “over the top”, and standing on their head on the way down.

The paternoster used to be housed in the beautifully brutal Muirhead Tower.

One of the dangers is stepping off late, walking head first in to the next floor up, and then falling back down on to the floor you just passed.

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Disappointingly, the cubicles are suspended from above, so that they remain upright when transitioning over at the top of the shaft.

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It would be a little disconcerting if, when you got on and looked up, you saw duplicate flooring on the ceiling, and a second set of wall sconces oriented the other way. :joy:

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id wonder if they ever combined this with a normal elevator. maybe not a one person lift, but room for three or four. ( where you still press a button to indicate a floor, and a small gate or indicator lets you know when it’s okay to get on and off ) or if maybe pausing too frequently wouldn’t work out

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