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CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION
Over thousands of years, architectural geometry has been a subject of
fascination, speculation, rule making, analysis, and controversy. During this long
period, numerous architectural styles and trends have appeared and gone. And the
staircases, just as any other architectural element reproduced the characteristic
features of the style common to the particular period.
Nowadays, if someone decides to build the staircase, he has a great choice of
technologies, tools, and materials capable of reproducing any style or bringing to life
their own vision of staircases design. Wood, metal, concrete, glass and their
combinations can be used for stairs construction. The best and most adequate time
will be to design the staircases and their styling at the stage of drawing that is prior to
building the house, taking account of all safety norms and following the local building
regulations. Architectural considerations involving aesthetics, structural feasibility
and functional requirements are the major aspects to select a particular type of the
staircase. Other influencing parameters of the selection are lighting, ventilation,
comfort, accessibility, space etc.
Going up or down stairs are instinctive gestures, which we do not even think
about when we need to move from one level to another. Whether in a building or a
space for public circulation, they ensure circulation naturally, easing peoples physical
effort since ancient times. They are essential for any construction not only as a way to
mediate between two levels, but also to facilitate the access within a building. Beyond
functional considerations, stairs correspond as well to an aesthetic need or to
resistance to traffic, which gave birth to a complex of structural factors that vary from
one space to another.
Balusters: are vertical elements at the edges of the staircase or staircase shaft,
which are necessary for handrail support and protective barrier creation. Balusters
can be of different sections and forms. Balustrade is a joint name for newel posts,
balusters, handrails and base rail together.
Flight of stairs: Circulation construction element with a slope, with /without
treads. Step is joint name of the tread and riser.
Handrail: It provides for support and forms a protective barrier when you go up
and down stairs. The handrail also serves as an attaching point of the top part of
balusters.
Headroom: is a size of vertical opening of the staircase in the clear from the tread
forefront up to the low point of any structural element above it (ceiling, beam,
flight of stairs, roof). Minimal size of this opening for comfortable usage of the
staircase amounts to 2,000 mm.
Landing: Horizontal construction element located at the top or between two
flights of stairs built for people to rest on when going up/down stairs or serves for
change of direction and
Line of walk: The Graphic indicator of the way to the stairs; in case of circular or
balanced staircases, its considered to be 50 cm from the handrail towards the
smaller arch of the curve, for flight of stairs smaller than 1m; in axes of flights of
stairs longer than 1.0 m its considered to be at 60 cm
Newel or newel post: A vertical post which might provide support for either the
hand rail, or support for the upper end of an outer string. It performs a function of
a bearing element. They can be of different sections and forms.
Nosing :The frontal part of the tread that is excluded from the plane of the riser ;it
has a decorative purpose
Pitch Line: is an imaginary line passing through upper edges of treads in the
flight of stairs. Pitch is an angle between the Pitch Line and the horizon.
Department of Furniture & Interior Designing. 3
Seminar Report Staircase Design.
Rise: is a size from the upper plane of one tread to the upper plane of the next
tread.
Riser: is a board covering the space under treads communicating additional
strength to the treads and makes the staircase safer.
Skirting Bracket: is a decorative molding under the tread allowing to hide the
spacing between the tread and the open string, as also the butt end of the riser.
Staircase Shaft :The enclosed space, limited by the walls confining the staircase
Stringer or string: The structural member that supports the treads. There are
typically two stringers, one on either side of the stairs; though the treads may be
supported many other ways. The stringers are notched so that the risers and treads
fit in to them.
The eye of the staircase :The free space bound by the inner parts of flight of
stairs
Tread :The horizontal surface, with a relatively low width, situated vertically on
equal distance between other treads
Trim: is a decorative molding which allows covering the gaps at the place of
treads' bordering the wall.
Up Easing: is an element of a handrail that allows changing the direction of a
handrail from angular to vertical one.
Wall Rail: is a handrail fastened to the wall with the help of Wall Rail Brackets.
In general it is installed if the width of the staircase exceeds 1,000 mm.
Winders: Winders are steps that are narrower on one side than the other .They are
used to change the direction of the stairs without landings. A series of winders
form a circular or spiral stairway.
Tread dimensions
Min. Tread width(no side walls) =60cm
One side wall = 70cm
Two side walls = 80cm
Handrails
Handrails height should be between 86.5-96.5 cm.
Handrails may project a max. Of 9cm into the required width.
Headroom
Minimum Headroom 200cm.
Headroom calculation: H=140+70/Cos
Pitch : 20H=215cm
Pitch : 30H= 220cm
Pitch : 45H=240cm
Department of Furniture & Interior Designing. 4
Seminar Report Staircase Design.
STAIRCASE CLASSIFICATION
Staircases can be classified according to different criteria, but here only the three
most important ones here considered (flight of stairs shape, purpose and the material
used for their structure.
Metal staircases have now made the transition from being seen as purely
industrial features, to the home. They are less heavy in their appearance than
timber. Perfect for spiral or straight flights, they look great paired with glass
balustrades or even wire mesh or tension wires. Badly designed metal staircases
can look overly industrial. Components can now be bought off the shelf, with full
timber and metal staircases coming to as little as 500-600.
Stone and Concrete staircases can be traditional think grand sweeping stone
flights or contemporary in the form of industrial-style simplicity. Concrete stairs
are usually supplied precast in sections to be assembled on site.The perfect way to
create a sense of solidity. Its Expensive. May have to wait a while for them to be
made. Cost is Variable. They can be expensive, starting at around 10,000. An
alternative is to clad existing stairs with stone panels.
Timber makes a fantastic staircase material as it is so versatile in the looks.
Wooden staircases for traditional homes should be quite substantial, with rounded
stair nosing, turned balusters and carved newel posts. Contemporary timber
staircases often consist of nothing more than chunky wooden treads that cantilever
out from a wall .Wood is strong, versatile, and easy to work with and has a
timeless look. It being such a popular material though dark and heavy wood can
be overbearing when used for such a central feature. The cheapest option is
engineered teak or plywood ideal for a fully carpeted staircase and painted
balustrading which is readily available and fairly cost-effective. Hardwoods are
more expensive, varying from two times the cost of softwood up to five times the
cost.
Glass and Acrylic staircases Not only do allow light to flow easily both between
rooms and levels in a house, but they also add a touch of contemporary glamour.
Its strong, being made up of two or three layers laminated together. Perfect for
contemporary interiors. Acrylic can be prone to surface scratches and as a
flammable material cannot be used for staircases that will be fire escape routes.
They rarely come cheap, particularly if buying from specialists. The key to a low-
cost yet striking staircase is to combine materials and be clever when choosing
supplier.
Mixed stairs may have reinforced concrete stringers (monolithic or
prefabricated), or out of metal and load-bearing steps from other materials than
the stringer (prefabricated concrete, wood, metal, stone, glass). Steps are fixed
locally on the stringers, mechanically or with special cemented or welded pieces.
For finishing steps and stairs in general there are several types of profiles,
plinths and decorative elements. Among the most important are the edge/banding
profiles that allow finishing the step edge, providing durability, but also the possibility
of implementing anti-slip profiles, which prevent slipping on stairs. They are usually
made of aluminum or metal, but there are also white or colored PVC versions.
Anti-slip profiles can be purchased separately, are made of rubber and can be
mounted on any type of step, if not provided when building, or in special areas
provided by the manufacturer.
CIRCULAR ELLIPTICAL
SPIRAL
DESIGNING A STAIR
Designing the staircase depends on many factors like place in which the staircase
is going to be situated (inside or out), size of hole in the slab and the type of building
theyre serving (residential, commercial or industrial) Usual slopes for the flight of
stairs .The relation between the length of the tread (l) and the height of the riser (h).
When choosing the type of the staircase the following aspects shall be taken into
account:
Designation of the staircase (front or supporting),
intensity of usage,
The form of the place allocated for staircase construction.
It should be remembered that the area occupied by the staircase is excluded from
the usable space of the house.
The form and location of the staircase have a direct impact on convenience and
functional usage of the staircase. The stipulations of clause 33 of IS 456 are given
below as a ready reference regarding the determination of effective span of stair.
Three different cases are given to determine the effective span of stairs without
stringer beams.
Suppose we build a staircase from the ground to the second floor. Floor to
Floor Height is equal to 2600 mm. As a result we want to receive the stairs with
correlation of the riser height and going 17/29 To estimate the number of risers we
should divide the Floor to Floor Height by the riser height which we take from the
correlation of the riser height and going 2600 mm 170 mm = 15.29. Since the
number of risers shall be a whole number, we round down the value received and get
15 risers. Now to figure out the precise value of the riser height we shall divide the
Floor to Floor Height by the number of risers, that is 2,600 mm 15 = 173.33 mm.
We have to round down the value received to 173 mm, because it is impossible to
measure out the value of 173.33 mm by hand marking.
But now if we multiple 173 mm by 15 risers we receive the value of 2,595 mm. The
difference can make either low or considerable values. As you have already
understood, the accuracy in size is of crucial significance here. Ignoring even tenths
after the decimal point at one step leads in the aggregate to the difference between the
Floor to Floor Height and the stairs height. Thats why we recommend to execute the
marking as accurately as possible and to use a beam compass if necessary. In the
example set above the value of 5 mm can be compensated if you slightly level up the
Number of risers - 15
Riser height - 173 mm
Going - 290 mm
When laying out the steps and choosing the correlation of the riser height and
going for the stairs, always consider the dimensions of the headroom of stairs and its
minimal size. For this purpose the dimensions of the existing aperture are plotted on
the plan of the staircase. Then determine, on which step the edge of the aperture and
the stairs overlap. Then subtract the total height of steps up to the overlapping from
the floor-to-ceiling height. The value received will constitute the headroom of the
stairs.
A badly designed staircase is one that suffers from a total lack of light, either
natural or artificial, but also with staircases being located in the centre of the house
away from main windows. Good ways to allow light through to staircase include,
using fanlights above doors, both internal and external, to bring light into the base of
the staircase; inserting a roof light above the stairwell
Use artificial lighting to turn staircase into even more of a feature. Although
including practical lighting at the top and bottom of the staircase controlled by a
two-way switch is a good idea, using LED lights set into the string, handrail or even
the stairs themselves is a fantastic way of showing off new flight.
CONCLUSION
The worst thing that can happen to the stair is the wrong proportion hence,
architects are trying to discover the ultimate formula for designing appropriate
staircases. The design of staircase, therefore, is the application of the designs of the
different elements of the staircase. Architectural considerations involving aesthetics,
structural feasibility and functional requirements are the major aspects to select a
particular type of the staircase. Other influencing parameters of the selection are
lighting, ventilation, comfort, accessibility, space etc.
Stairs must satisfy strict building codes meant to ensure safety and climbing
comfort. We're so used to uniform, professionally built staircases that the slightest
discrepancy between steps creates a tripping hazard. Tall steps make climbing hard.
Shallow steps are uncomfortable and dangerous. Since there's so little room for error,
building stairs requires careful layout and some potentially tricky calculations. Living
without difference in levels has become un imaginable, however, various accidents
and injuries can be associated with staircases. The developments of new designs for
staircases have imposed new demands on safety precautions concerning the
proportion between the tread and the riser, height of banister and railings.
REFERENCES
John Templer, (1992), Study of hazards, falls, and safer design. page 10.
Carles Broto , 2011, New staircases .
http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/stairs-as-fitness-tool/?_r=0
http://herg.gatech.edu/Files/Caltrans_Final_Report.pdf.
Ashcroft, R., Construction for Interior Designers, 1992, England.
Ching, F.D.K, Building Construction Illustrated, 2001.
Sari,Abdullah, Merdivenler, 1994,Turkey.
www.mustknowhow.com5.www.gharexpert.com
Natasha Brinsmead , (2012), Staircase Design Guide ,Homebuilding &
Renovating.
Archea, J.C., Collins, B.L. and Stahl, F.I. (1979). Guidelines for stair safety.
NBS-BSS 120, U.S.National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD.
APPENDIX
It is desirable that the stairs are easily available for the primary areas in
the house such as a hall, living room, dining room, kitchen, and also
visible from the entrance. If you position the stairs like that, they will
fulfill their basic role more efficiently and functionally.