The world of elevators can be a very funny, interesting and sometimes strange place. We have discussed all types of elevators that fit into that last category – in fact, the stranger the better. One thing we haven’t really discussed is the elevator shaft – an empty silo shaped area within which an elevator is installed and operated. There are home elevators that do not require a large shaft area and some elevator installations don’t require a machine room or pit. Keeping this in mind, many buildings have these areas built in, in case a business or person decides they want one.

However, what do you do with an empty elevator shaft besides adding an elevator? You put a bathroom above it of course! At least that’s what you do if you are Hernandez Silva Arquitectos architecture firm. According to the Huffington Post, these architects used an elevator shaft as the floor of a bathroom installation, with a twist:

“[The bathroom is] suspended on a glass floor at the top of a 15-story elevator shaft, according to The Daily Mail. The bathroom is part of the PPDG Penthouse in Guadalajara, Mexico that architects Hernandez Silva Arquitectos say was designed with ‘concepts of transparency and the simplicity of materials’ in mind.”

The Daily Mail says the elevator column was initially intended for a second elevator installation project, but instead was converted into the ‘floor’ of a bathroom. This penthouse, located on top of a 1970s colonial Mexican building, is currently up for lease, for anyone who isn’t afraid of heights. Huffington Post says this isn’t the only high altitude bathroom though, even though one might think so:

“A waterless toilet that’s regarded as the highest in Europe in Mont Blanc, France sits at around 14,000 feet above sea level, according to Spiegel Online. Likewise, rumors persist that the highest interior space in the Chrysler Building is home to a porcelain throne.”

Would you ever place a bathroom over an empty elevator shaft?

The older buildings of our communities are always needing restoration work to be brought up to date with the new rules and regulations at federal and local levels. Certain laws make it illegal to construct a building or other structure without ramps, elevators and other mobility elements that allow disabled persons to move easily throughout. However, older buildings have to adapt with the times, even though they do not have to be up to code when new laws are passed. Still, many of these buildings get updates to make disabled persons feel comfortable.

That’s exactly what the Epping Community Church has decided to do. The structure – which was built in the late 1880s – is getting an elevator installed to help its older members reach the second floor of the church. According to the Union Leader, the New Hampshire church has already raised some of the money needed:

“The 125-member church at the corner of Main and Pleasant streets has collected about $290,000 in a building fund for the elevator project and the addition of a new entrance at the back of the church. The work is included in the first phase of a two-part improvement project at the church, where members have collected donations from the small congregation and held pizza nights on Fridays and other dinners to raise funds.”

The article says that this is only part one of an improvement project being started by the church. The church has collected about half of what is needed to finish the project and is planning other fundraising activities outside of pizza nights:

“…the church will hold a concert Saturday night to raise more money for the building fund as members begin looking toward the addition of a large meeting room in the second phase…there is no cost for the concert, but donations for the building fund will be accepted.”

The beginning of the elevator installation project is expected to start by June, the article says.

One of the most memorable elevators you will see in your life is in the Batman movies and comic books. When rich playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne has to get to his Batcave for transformation into the Dark Knight, he jettisons down to his cavern in a secret elevator, hidden in different ways throughout Batman’s many cinematic adventures. Even though he has the money and the cars, Bruce Wayne still doesn’t have a car elevator, the newest trendy style of home elevator.

According to one article, one millionaire has combined the secrecy of the Batcave’s elevator with the convenience of a car elevator at his secluded Nevada compound. CNNMoney reports that Tom Gonzales – who made his fortune on the internet – recently installed a disappearing car elevator that literally goes subterranean:

“Gonzalez, who was co-founder of the once high-flying e-commerce company Commerce One, commissioned a massive 12-foot- by 60-foot custom-built aircraft elevator, the type used to lift planes up onto the flight decks of aircraft carriers. When the elevator isn’t moving cars, it’s camouflaged with rocks, plants and trees — both real and artificial.”

Why would Gonzalez need such an elaborate system installed? To hold his expensive vehicles of course! The article says that the millionaire has more than 400 cars, but the space beneath his installed custom elevator only holds 30 vehicles and a few dozen motorcycles. When he needs to protect his most prized vehicles, he simply drives them into the lift and they disappear into the ground, where they can be stored away from the elements.

Gonzalez is selling this car elevator along with his entire compound, which boasts a lot of property and other high tech features:

“Above ground is a three-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot home that Gonzales calls the Carriage House. The property is being sold as part of Gonzales’ $50 million compound, which includes three other homes, or as a separate parcel for $8.9 million.”

The future of the commercial elevator seems to be entrenched in the world of technology. This may seem obvious considering all of the technology that goes into the mechanics of lifts, but the speed of digital technology is changing other things about the elevator. Beyond the new speeds that elevators can reach and the types of lifts that can now be created, digital tech is bringing a new element into the fold – interactive TV screens.

In a lot of ways, this move is not surprising, especially since elevators and advertising go hand-in-hand. Now, it will be significantly easier for many advertisers to be seen in the same elevator – making money for the manufacturers and, most likely, the building operators. According to an article in Bloomberg Businessweek, having screens in newly installed elevators will provide a number of welcome changes:

“…there are still new things the old lift can be made to do. That includes doing more to apply digital technology to inform passengers of problems or provide advertising and brief bursts of entertainment. Still, elevators can do a better job of informing passengers and building managers and also of entertaining captive passengers. That could mean TV screens delivering advertising or, in the rare case of a trapped passenger, video conferencing with rescuers.”

Another major improvement, the article says, is the installation of an elevator ‘black box’ of sorts, which will allow building administrators and safety crews to download and inspect what the problem of an elevator stoppage might be. This type of elevator technology is currently huge in European and Asian markets and will become more prominent in North America over the next few years.

If you install a custom elevator in your home, would you ever consider adding a screen to pass the short amount of time you are travelling? Do you think they are necessary in commercial elevators elsewhere?