台中洋碩美語 makes our lives valuable

如果蓋好摩天大樓，才發現不能使用電梯，會不會是很瞎的事? 這事情真的在西班牙發生了!!
 
Benidorm's white elephant woe: Spanish skyscraper going up — but without an elevator?

If you are thinking of investing in an apartment at the Intempo skyscraper in Benidorm, Spain, be prepared to bring some good walking shoes: Its builders forgot a working elevator.
如果你想在西班牙的貝尼多爾姆市InTempo住宅大樓買房子，你最好準備幾雙耐用的鞋子。因為這棟大樓的建商忘了設計可用的電梯! 

According to a story surfaced on Gizmodo, the luxury high-rise tower, which started construction in 2007, was originally designed for 20 floors. But the the developers decided to push the design to include 47 floors with 269 homes. When completed, it will be Benidorm’s highest building at 650 feet.
根據美國科技媒體Gizmodo報導，這棟自2007年動工的的豪華大樓，原本只有設計蓋20層樓。但開發商卻更改設計圖，把建築物提高47層樓，可容納267個家庭。這棟大樓完工後，將會是當地最高的建築物，高達650英呎 (約200公尺)，不過現在卻成為一個笑柄。

There seemed to be just one important oversight: In going up to 47 floors, designers forgot to take into account room for an elevator shaft. El Pais reports that the architects on the project resigned in May 2012.
這一切就在於一個重大疏失: 設計師竟忘記幫加高的47樓層預留電梯空間。該項設計師也已在2012年五月辭職。

The building “represents a long story of incompetence,” according to El Pais. The coastal town had a building
boom that led to the nickname “Beniyork” for its skyline of high-rises.
根據西班牙"國家報"報導，這棟大樓有"多處不合格"。由於大樓激增，也讓這個小鎮標榜自己是"地中海的紐約"。

But then the recession hit. Intempo’s developer, which had once advertised the building as the “banner of the future,” and the bank that provided the loan for construction both went bankrupt in 2009. The building has cost €100 million so far.
不過隨之而來的經濟衰退延緩了進度項目。InTempo的建商原本想讓這棟大樓成為"引領未來的象徵"，不過當初提供借貸的銀行卻相繼在2009破產。到目前為止，這棟大樓目前約耗資1億歐元。

Already 35 percent of the apartments have been sold to international buyers. The building is 95 percent complete, and it is expected to be done by spring 2014.
大樓中35%已出售給國際買家。該樓近95%完工，預計在2014年春天落成。

•   新聞字彙  
white elephant  大而無用的東西  
high-rise 大廈  
take into account 把...列入考量
skyline (建築物在天空映襯下的)輪廓線
recession (經濟)衰退     
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