Oops! Builders of Spanish Skyscraper Forgot the Elevator

The builders of the Intempo, a 47-story skyscraper in Benidorm, Spain forgot to design working elevators above the lower floors. It’s a blunder of astounding proportions for the troubled luxury project with a lovely beach view. Initially the building was designed to be merely 20-stories tall -- now it boasts 47-stories, and will include 269 homes. But when developers decided to move skyward, they neglected to reconfigure their plans for the necessary elevators -- and it doesn't have any extra space to accommodate the equipment.

When you construct a building, you have to make sure that everything is right. You confirm that it is structurally sound, that every bolt and screw is tight, and that you didn't miss any spots on the walls when you were painting.

And if you’re building a skyscraper, you should also probably remember to leave room for elevators.

Unfortunately, the planners behind the Intempo never worked out a way for people to get up and down the building’s 47-stories, and it doesn't have any extra space to accommodate elevator equipment, so it seems that if you want to get above the 20th floor of the building, you’d better be ready for a long stair climb.

The Intempo was designed to be a striking symbol of hope and prosperity, to signal to the rest of the world that the city was escaping the financial crisis. However, the entire construction process has been plagued with problems for some time. 

The scandal exploded into public view early this month when Spanish newspapers revealed that the upper flights of the building lacked elevator access above 20 stories.

Now, the awful architectural blooper is earning international fame after being picked up by worldwide media services.

The original design obviously included specifications for an elevator big enough for a 20-story building.

In the process of scaling things up, however, nobody thought to redesign the elevator system—and, naturally, a 47-story building requires more space for this equipment.

Sadly, that space doesn't exist.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the architects working on the project have resigned, and it remains unclear exactly how the developers will solve the problem. Can we recommend stairs?

What happens with the building remains to be seen, but at the very least, prospective tenants can get rid of their Stairmasters.