Staircase

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Stairway with skylight Skylight, chandelier and stairs, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.jpg
Stairway with skylight

A stairwell or stair room is a room in a building where a stair is located, and is used to connect walkways between floors so that one can move in height. [1] Collectively, a set of stairs and a stairwell is referred to as a staircase or stairway. In buildings with several housing units, a stairway can be a necessary common area for getting to and from apartments.

Contents

Staircases provide vertical access to connected floors in a multi-story building, and are a functional part of it. Stairwells are often used to place several stairs one above the other to save vertical space. [2] The entrance to elevators is often located in the stairwell. Sometimes the stairwell goes around the lift shaft, other times it is placed next to it.

An exterior stairway is a stair in a separate structure attached to the rest of the building body, [3] and can either be enclosed or exposed to the elements. Such temporary exposed stairways are sometimes used in conjunction with scaffolding on construction sites, or permanently as an emergency exit.

History

Spiral staircase (double helix) in the Vatican Museums VaticanMuseumStaircase.jpg
Spiral staircase (double helix) in the Vatican Museums

The concept of stairs is believed to be 8000 years old, and are one of the oldest buildings in architectural history. [4] The oldest example of spiral stairs dates back to the 400s BC. [5] Medieval architecture saw experimentation with many different shapes, and the Renaissance even more so with varied designs. [5]

Lighting

Good lighting is important in a staircase so users see where they are going and to prevent falls. [6] There is often a window on the wall to let in daylight. In many cases, indoor stairs are placed far inside the building structure, and it is often not easy to get access to a wall on the outside where it would be natural to have a regular window for letting daylight in. For this reason, it is not unusual to find a skylight or roof windows above a stairwell.

A research article suggests that perceived safety increases when using downwards lighting towards the stairs, while upwards lighting resulted in a substantial decrease of perceived safety. [7]

Handrail

In new stairways, some jurisdictions require handrails to be mounted on both sides. [8]

Emergency exit

Escape route via stairs with open steps 102 University Ave--Palo Alto, CA-Designed by Joseph Bellomo Architects 2014-05-20 21-12.jpg
Escape route via stairs with open steps

Often the stairs in a stairwell are an emergency exit in case of fire, [9] and the stairwell should then be a separate fire compartment separated from the rest of the building via fire doors.

For fire safety it can be advantageous that both the walls, ceiling and the stairs themselves in a stairwell are made of non-combustible materials, and be illuminated with daylight during the day and artificial lighting at darkness.

Storage of objects in shared stairwells is generally prohibited due to the fact that this is often an escape route. [10] This applies to both flammable objects and other objects that may become an obstacle to the rescue work. [10] Many housing cooperatives have general prohibitions against storage in common stairwells. [11]

Utilization

Under stairs there is often a lot of area and volume that is not otherwise used. There are several examples of creative uses, such as wardrobes, home offices, [12] playroom, [13] or general storage such as drawers, cupboards or shelves for storage.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stairs</span> Construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into steps

Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage to the other level by stepping from one to another step in turn. Steps are very typically rectangular. Stairs may be straight, round, or may consist of two or more straight pieces connected at angles.

A newel, also called a central pole or support column, is the central supporting pillar of a staircase. It can also refer to an upright post that supports and/or terminates the handrail of a stair banister. In stairs having straight flights it is the principal post at the foot of the staircase, but the term can also be used for the intermediate posts on landings and at the top of a staircase. Although its primary purpose is structural, newels have long been adorned with decorative trim and designed in different architectural styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iroquois Theatre fire</span> 1903 building fire in Chicago, Illinois

The Iroquois Theatre fire was a catastrophic building fire in Chicago, Illinois, that broke out on December 30, 1903 during a performance attended by 1,700 people. The fire caused 602 deaths and 250 non-fatal injuries. It ranks as the worst theater fire in the United States, surpassing the carnage of the Brooklyn Theatre fire of 1876, which claimed at least 278 lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emergency exit</span> Pathway out of a structure designed for use during emergency evacuations

An emergency exit in a building or other structure is a special exit used during emergencies such as fires. The combined use of regular and emergency exits allows for faster evacuation, and emergency exits provide alternative means of evacuation if regular exits are inaccessible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emergency evacuation</span> Urgent removal of people from an area of imminent or ongoing threat

Emergency evacuation is an immediate egress or escape of people away from an area that contains an imminent threat, an ongoing threat or a hazard to lives or property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire escape</span> Type of emergency exit for tall buildings

A fire escape is a special kind of emergency exit, usually mounted to the outside of a building – occasionally inside, but separate from the main areas of the building. It provides a method of escape in the event of a fire or other emergency that makes the stairwells inside a building inaccessible. Fire escapes are most often found on multiple-story residential buildings, such as apartment buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stair climbing</span>

Stair climbing is the climbing of a flight of stairs. It is often described as a "low-impact" exercise, often for people who have recently started trying to get in shape. A common exhortation in health pop culture is "Take the stairs, not the elevator".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stair lift</span> Chair to move people up and down stairs

A stair lift is a mechanical device for lifting people, typically those with disabilities, up and down stairs. For sufficiently wide stairs, a rail is mounted to the treads of the stairs. A chair or lifting platform is attached to the rail. A person gets onto the chair or platform and is lifted up or down the stairs by the chair which moves along the rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivors' Staircase</span> Last visible remaining original structure above ground level at the World Trade Center site

The Survivors' Staircase was the last visible remaining original structure above ground level at the World Trade Center site. It was originally an outdoor flight of granite-clad stairs and two escalators which connected Vesey Street to the World Trade Center's Austin J. Tobin Plaza. During the September 11 attacks, the stairs served as an escape route for hundreds of evacuees from 5 World Trade Center, a 9-floor building adjacent to the Twin Towers. The staircase is now an important feature of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Escape chair</span>

An escape chair or evacuation chair is a device manufactured for the smooth descent of stairways in the event of an emergency. It was invented in the United States in 1982. The single-user operation device does not require heavy lifting to evacuate a person. An escape chair always comes with a green seat, head rest and dust cover. At airports and other large, multistory buildings, escape chairs can be used to assist persons with reduced mobility during emergency evacuation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown Building (Manhattan)</span> United States historic place

The Brown Building is a ten-story building that is part of the campus of New York University (NYU), which owns it. It is located at 23–29 Washington Place, between Greene Street and Washington Square East in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, and is best known as the location of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of March 25, 1911, which killed 146 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suntop Homes</span> House in Ardmore, Pennsylvania

The Suntop Homes, also known under the early name of The Ardmore Experiment, were quadruple residences located in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, and based largely upon the 1935 conceptual Broadacre City model of the minimum houses. The design was commissioned by Otto Tod Mallery of the Tod Company in 1938 in an attempt to set a new standard for the entry-level housing market in the United States and to increase single-family dwelling density in the suburbs. In cooperation with Frank Lloyd Wright, the Tod Company secured a patent for the unique design, intending to sell development rights for Suntops across the country.

In building safety and construction, a smokeproof enclosure is a type of exit stairwell that has been designed to keep out smoke in the event of a fire, so that building occupants may more safely exit the building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winecoff Hotel fire</span> 1946 fire in Atlanta, Georgia

The Winecoff Hotel fire, of December 7, 1946, was the deadliest hotel fire in American history, killing 119 hotel occupants, including the hotel's original owners. Located at 176 Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia, the Winecoff Hotel was advertised as "absolutely fireproof". While the hotel's steel structure was indeed protected against the effects of fire, its interior finishes were combustible and the building's exit arrangements consisted of a single stairway serving all fifteen floors. All of the hotel's occupants above the fire's origin on the third floor were trapped, and the fire's survivors either were rescued from upper-story windows or jumped into nets held by firemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P2 (panel building)</span>

P2 is the abbreviation for a type of residential panel building found in former East Germany. The P stands for parallel and refers to load-bearing walls arranged parallel to wall surfaces. 2 denotes the arrangement of two stairways in a building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Escape chute</span>

An escape chute is a special kind of emergency exit, used where conventional fire escape stairways are impractical. The chute is a fabric tube installed near a special exit on an upper floor or roof of a building, or a tall structure. During use, the chute is deployed, and may be secured at the bottom by a fire fighting crew some distance out from the building. Once the tube is ready, escapees enter the tube and slide down to a lower level or the ground level.

Accessible housing refers to the construction or modification of housing to enable independent living for persons with disabilities. Accessibility is achieved through architectural design, but also by integrating accessibility features such as modified furniture, shelves and cupboards, or even electronic devices in the home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staircase tower</span>

A staircase tower or stair tower is a tower-like wing of a building with a circular or polygonal plan that contains a stairwell, usually a helical staircase.

Nosing is the horizontal, protruding edge of a stair where most foot traffic frequently occurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">107–109 Bathurst Street, Sydney</span> Heritage-listed building in Sydney, Australia

107–109 Bathurst Street, Sydney is a heritage-listed former bank building and now KFC fast food restaurant located at 107–109 Bathurst Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The property is privately owned. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

References

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  2. How not to mess up your loft conversion stairs
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  4. "History of Stairs, Ancient Stairs". www.elevestairs.com. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  5. 1 2 "The History of Stairs: From Fascinating Architecture to Access Barriers | Stannah". Blog USA. 2018-12-18. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  6. Thomas, Neil M.; Skervin, Timmion; Foster, Richard J.; O'Brien, Thomas D.; Carpenter, Mark G.; Maganaris, Constantinos N.; Baltzopoulos, Vasilios; Lees, Carolyn; Hollands, Mark A. (2020-04-01). "Optimal lighting levels for stair safety: Influence of lightbulb type and brightness on confidence, dynamic balance and stepping characteristics". Experimental Gerontology. 132: 110839. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2020.110839. ISSN   0531-5565. PMID   31958491. S2CID   210703463.
  7. Van de Perre, Laurens; Danschutter, Stefan; Janssens, Kim; Hanselaer, Peter; Dujardin, Marc; Smet, Kevin A. G.; Ryckaert, Wouter R. (2019-12-01). "Safety perception of stairs with integrated lighting". Building and Environment. 166: 106389. Bibcode:2019BuEnv.16606389V. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106389. ISSN   0360-1323. S2CID   203123801.
  8. "Byggteknisk forskrift (TEK17) med veiledning, III Bygningsdeler, § 12-14. Trapp" (PDF).
  9. Ziavras, Valerie (2021-08-06). "Types of Permissible Vertical Openings". National Fire Protection Association . Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  10. 1 2 "Ofte stilte spørsmål" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  11. "Ofte stilte spørsmål". Branntips EN. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  12. Mushro, Amanda (2023-08-21). "11 Awesome Under-Stairs Storage And Design Ideas To Make The Most Of Your Space". Forbes . Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  13. "How to turn the awkward space under the stairs into your favourite corner at home". Architectural Digest India. 2021-09-03. Retrieved 2024-02-14.