I independently discovered a method of vertical transportation that I believe is the fastest, most direct method of transporting goods vertically up and down using minimal ground-level surface area. I would like to share it.

How does it work?

We start with some basic facts:

1. Silos and Barns have a height of a few blocks (in the range of 3-4).

2. The greatest height which still allows you to input and output goods for Silos and Barns is 3.

3. Goods that travel into a structure effectively concurrently inhabit all spaces that the structure fills.

Connecting the dots:

1. Create a tower of scaffolding. Like so: https://i.imgur.com/CaTL2HP.png

2. Every third scaffold, place a scaffold jutting out. These will be our "side scaffolds."

3. For each side scaffold, add an additional scaffold on one of its sides perpendicular to the side scaffold and the tower in an alternating, zig-zag fashion. Like so: https://i.imgur.com/DMEUo1h.png

4. Add Silos to each of the zig-zag, outer scaffolds.

4.1. IMPORTANT: If your tower is meant to lift goods up, the Silos must NOT point towards each other.

5. Add conveyor belts in-between the Silos. Make sure they are pointing in the right way for whether you want goods to go up or down :) (hint: they should alternate directions following the zig-zag)

5.1. * IF GOING UP: Add Grabbers on each of the conveyor belts. Each Grabber should point in the same direction as its belt.

5.2. * IF GOING DOWN: make sure the Silos point toward the conveyor belts such that the goods jump to descending Silos.

Finished example of a tower that lifts goods up: https://i.imgur.com/IQS2mRM.png

(If this tower was to bring goods down, the grabbers would be removed, the conveyor belt directions would be flipped, and the Silos would be facing toward the conveyor belts so that they can output in a "downwards" direction.)