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The Paternoster Lif...
 

The Paternoster Lift (Elevator)  

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Riki
 Riki
(@riki)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 14 years ago
Posts: 1395
14/09/2009 1:19 pm  

I saw my first functioning paternoster lift in Prague this weekend and was fascinated. We don't have these in America because the lawsuits would be prohibitive, but the design is amazing. The lift runs in a continuous loop, there are no doors and the users just jump on and off at their desired floor. If you miss your floor, you can stay on and ride it all around the loop and try again. In the Czech Republic, they call this "going over the top".

The Czech people that I was with in Prague thought I was a total weirdo. Here they are showing me beautiful old castles, churches, etc. and I am just taking pictures of their elevator!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXSnNzGJDdg


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Gustavo
(@gustavo)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 14 years ago
Posts: 659
15/09/2009 1:41 am  

Cool
Cool!
As somebdoy asked... when the lift is up. what happens? It fold itself?
Coolevator!


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Riki
 Riki
(@riki)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 14 years ago
Posts: 1395
15/09/2009 2:04 am  

It is very cool
Gustavo. Picture in your mind a big rectangle. Open compartments travel up the right side, straight across the top, down the left side and straight across the bottom and back around the loop again. It never stops running. You don't push any buttons or anything. It just keeps running and you jump on or off.
If you go on Wikipedia, they give a list of which countries still have functioning paternosters. Like I said, there are none in America because the lawsuits would be outrageous.


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brnki (SVK)
(@brnki-svk)
Trusted Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 48
15/09/2009 12:37 pm  

We have the same in our old...
We have the same in our old university building in Slovakia. And although I was quite scared of it when I was a child (i couldn't imagine what happens to you if you forget to get off) it's quite useful. But if there are too many students waiting in a row (cause usually no more than 2 people get in) i rather take stairs..


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NULL NULL
(@waghorn41hotmail-co-uk)
New Member
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 2
18/09/2009 1:47 am  

Sheffield University Arts...
Sheffield University Arts Tower in the UK has one.


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NULL NULL
(@tpetersonneb-rr-com)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 522
18/09/2009 5:14 am  

Really neat, Riki. I went to...
Really neat, Riki. I went to wikipedia to look at elevators just a few minutes ago, and went all the way back to Vitruvius and Archimedes ...
I like that one in your photos.


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rockland
(@rockland)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 984
18/09/2009 7:51 am  

they are fascinating no?
lots of them on you tube...
This one is a bit theatrical.
Beautifully built.
(can't find the one posted on an architectural forum where i first saw these)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-jmVUyNoTg&feature=related


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HPau
 HPau
(@hpau)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 2534
18/09/2009 8:20 am  

.
Doesn't 'paternoster' mean Lords Prayer? Do you have to say a prayer evry time you get in one? I think in the film 'Brazil' there are some good scenes of these in action.


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Riki
 Riki
(@riki)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 14 years ago
Posts: 1395
18/09/2009 9:16 am  

Paternoster
means "Our Father" which are the first two words of the Lord's Prayer in Latin. Wikipedia says the elevator cars form a continuous loop like the beads on a rosary, hence the connection. It was funny that the name was "Paternoster", even in Czech.


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