Professional Documents
Culture Documents
I. GENERAL INFO
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.
II. TERMINOLOGY
The stair is one of the most spectacular sub-assemblies of a building; it is at
the same time a huge sculpture and an escape route; an element that
enriches the building, giving it class and an element that ensures the
operational safety of a building. This does not mean, however, that all stairs
are beautiful; it does not even mean that all stairs must be treated with the
same care; technical stairs, secondary stairs, the ones with occasional
access, they must meet the essential requirements which are subordinated
to all construction products, from construction materials up to the building-
product.
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Thus, the Building Codes regarding the performance criteria specific to
ramps and stairs, for pedestrian traffic in construction, based on which stairs
should currently be designed, refer to:
Mechanical resistance and stability;
Safety in use;
Fire safety;
Noise protection.
Handrail The sill generally made out of vertical (rails) and /or horizontal
elements
Staircase Shaft The enclosed space, limited by the walls confining the staircase
Nosing The frontal part of the tread that is excluded from the plane of the
riser ;it has a decorative purpose
Under stairs The lower part of the flight of stairs that can be seen from the
landing or a flight of stairs found on an inferior altitude
Observation: the same analogy can be used to identify the term
over stairs
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Total height The circulation space between the sheer limits of 2 superimposed
flight of stairs or a flight of stairs and a landing ,measured using
Headroom
the normal on the line of walk ,from the nosing of the tread to the
plane generated by the backside of the flight of stairs or the
landings beams
Total length The circulation space between the wall and the railing
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
Handrail Construction element from the superior part of the sill/rail and/or
on the adjacent wall of the (flight of) stairs with the purpose of
giving support to the people using the (flight of) stairs
Tread edge The intersection between the horizontal plane and the vertical
one of the tread
Rail Vertical construction element (continuous or with gaps) that offers
protection to the people going up and down or pausing on the
(flight of) stairs.
Landing Horizontal construction element built for people to rest on when
going up/down stairs
Flight of stairs Flight of stairs Circulation construction element with a slope,
with /without treads
Staircase Construction subcomponent that serves pedestrian circulation in
between more floors, consisting in flights of stairs and eventually
a landing
Outer, open A staircase situated outside the building, standing alone
staircase (independent) or adjacent to the building with a maximum of 3
sides
Inside/Inner, open A staircase situated inside the building, in lobbies, hallways,
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staircase atriums, etc without having a shaft of its own
Inside, closed A staircase situated inside the building specific to isolation and
staircase fire safety codes
Staircase with A staircase that has multiple straight flights of stairs and the
relative orientation of some over others occurs at particular
multiple landings
angles
(Most common at 180 or 90)
Straight staircase A staircase that has straight flight of stairs hat are positioned one
after another, in the same direction
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Staircase with A staircase with risers of height between 16.6 and 17.5
regular risers
Tread The horizontal surface, with a relatively low width, situated
vertically on equal distance between other treads
Balanced treads Treads that go follow a curved path, with tread edges that
converge to centers of different radius. In a drawing plan, each
tread has a different shape.
The eye of the The free space bound by the inner parts of flight of stairs
staircase
Stringer The lateral or central beam going along the flight or stairs bearing
all its weight.
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9. Stringer The lateral or central beam going along the flight or stairs bearing
all its weight .There are staircases with one or more stringers .
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The relation between the length of the tread (l) and the height of the riser( h)
defines the slope of the flight of stairs. In his book Architecture course,
Jacques-Francois Blondel (1705 1774) introduced a two factors equation
that allows a proper design of a staircase:
2h + l = 62 64
Where 62 and 64 are the optimum interval (measured in cm) in which the
result of the sum 2h + l must ft in. For example, for a length l =28 cm that we
want to achieve, the right height can be calculated using:
The minimum optimal height
2h + 28 = 62
2h = 62 - 28 = 34
h = 34:2 = 17
2h + 28 = 64
2h = 64 - 28 = 36
h = 36:2 = 18
The ideal height of the riser for a 28 cm tread will be between 17 is 18
mother formula is known even today as Blondels formula.
Over time, accumulated expertise lead to the development of specific ratios
that involve other parameters, according too the use of the stairs, their use or
the type of construction method.
For example, for staircases that have very low/high riser, this equation is
recommended
3h + l = 80 85
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For stairs situated inside buildings and used by small children (kindergartens,
schools)
2h + l = 58 60
The diagram below features some common slopes for flights of stairs:
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Ramps and stairs with low slopes are generally used outside, for entering the
building or for the inside, where access for the disabled is needed.
European legislation demands the existence of access ramps for all types of
building ,with the mention that the slope may vary depending on if the ramp
is covered or not. The maximum slope for a ramp with no canopies a
maximum of 8% and for the covered ones it can reach to a maximum of 11%.
Most common staircases start from a slope of approximately 20 degrees and
can reach a maximum of 45 degrees ,with the mention that the optimum
slope is 30 -35 degrees, no matter its building material or its area of use .
Ramps and staircases with low slopes
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III.3. The width of the ramps
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9 Residential buildings maximum 2 floors 1.05 0.90
10 Residential buildings 3-5 floors 1.15 1.00
11 Residential buildings 6-8 floors 1.25 1.10
12 Residential buildings over 9 floors 1.30 1.20
13 Buildings with overcrowded halls public evacuation 1.70 1.20
14 Buildings with overcrowded halls bureaus 1.30 1.20
The width of the landing must be at least equal to the width of the widest
flight of stairs that intersects it and in order to hinder circulation, opening
doors on the landing must be avoided.
The headroom is the height between the sheer surface of the staircase and
the sheer plane of the inferior part of the flight of stairs or the slab above.
Generally, in order to avoid circulation problems, the minimum of 2.1 m is
considered acceptable, case in which any danger of accidents during
circulation is eliminated.
According to the width of the flight of stairs /ramps and the type of building
theyre situated, its recommended that rails and handrails are placed so:
-For staircases with a width smaller than 1.2 m, a rails and handrail must be
present toward the opening. In case of buildings in use by the disabled, a rail
and handrail must be added also on the other side (wall).
For staircases with the width between 1.2 m and 2.5 m a- a rail and handrail
must be added both towards the opening and the wall.
r staircases with the width bigger than 2.5 m - a rail and handrail must be
added towards the opening, the wall plus an extra rail at maximum 2.5 m.
V.1The rail
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Its a construction element with a protective purpose ( it prevents people
using the stairs or resting on the landing from falling from the staircase ) .The
safety height of the railing is between 80 cm and 1.1 m depending on the
construction type ,number of floors etc.
Rails can be made out of masonry, wood or metal with /without closing
components made out of glass, wood or plastic. In this case, the balusters
(vertical elements) must be positioned carefully so that accidental sliding
between them is prevented; eventual horizontal elements must prevent
climbing, especially in the case of children oriented activity buildings.
VI. Treads
They are the horizontal surfaces that allow going up (vertically moving along
a staircase) and down. Tread is a generic term, but architecturally speaking
its a unit made out of tread and riser.
same along the entire flight of stairs .In the case of high and steep treads ,it
is recommended to solve them with an angled riser or none at all ,to in order
to facilitate the support of the foot without any risk of slipping .
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Staircases with load bearing tread
They are staircases made without any stringers or prefabricated flights of
stairs ,in which the treads are embedded in the lateral walls or just a wall ,the
tread being capable of supporting all the loads from the circulation on the
stairs. Usually, its made out of a metal structure embedded in the wall or
from concrete casting or embedded in the masonry using special
components.
Treads can be made out of reinforced concrete, metal, wood or glass. They
are often used in staircases in residential or commercial buildings
(showrooms, small shops) due to their unique design .They are not
recommended for buildings used by great crowds of users or for evacuation
staircases.
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the available space (that staircases must occupy to its full use, with a
minimum of material), but also to desired esthetic impression.
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15
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9-12 Curved/Helical staircases
9. Curved staircase with an arch shape
10. Curved staircase with an cosinus arch shape
11. Curved staircase with an cosinus arch shape and a landing
12. Circular curved staircase
13. Helical staircase
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14-21. Stairs with balanced treads
14. Straight balanced staircase
15. Straight staircase, balanced on the inferior part
16. Straight staircase, balanced on the superior part
17. Balanced staircase with a 90 turn
18. Balanced staircase on both the inferior and superior parts
19. Double balanced staircase on both the inferior and superior parts
20. Balanced staircase with a 180 turn
21. Staircase with a straight flight and a curved one
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VI.2. According to the purpose
The place in which the staircases will be positioned determines their
classification in : monumental staircases ,main staircases and secondary
ones .Monumental staircases are most often found in public buildings ,not
just on the outside but also the inside ,though there is the possibility of their
use in residential buildings .They can be described as elegant ,with
outstanding architectural detailing .Main staircases are situated indoor ,
serving the building by ensuring proper flow between floors ,while the
secondary staircases have an extra purpose ,ensuring safety evacuation in
case of need ,transport of goods ,etc.
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Note : For balanced staircases with a 180 turn, its highly reccomended to
orient the tread after the axis of the staircase in order to avoid a lack of
precision when finishing corners, especially if the staircase is enclosed within
a shaft or has rectangular shape. If the staircase is open or has polygonal
shape, this note does not apply.
after determining the number of steps that need balancing and the
balancing limit line (also known as the balancing line its drawn at a distance
at least as equal to the double of the width of the flight of stairs or the non
rectangular treads are being counted and a twice as that treads are going to
be balanced (fig.1.))
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The arc method
the width of the balanced tread is drawn in the axis of the staircase (of
14 cm) at the edge of the treads projection towards the inner part of the
staircase ,as considered when determining the total length of the staircase
;its called reference contour
the center of the semi-circle to balance with is marked ( also known as
balancing arc ) ;its found at the intersection between the staircase axis and
the balancing limit and marked as M;also point N is marked at the
intersection between the reference contour semicircle and the staircase axis
the balancing arcis drawn ,having MN as radius
to be drawn are all the points that represent the balanced tread from the
staircase axis to the balancing arc
the remaining arc segment is divided in a number corresponding to the
remaining number of treads to be balanced
the resulting points from the circle are then projected back to the
reference contour ( on either parts of the flight of stairs) ( 2)
the treads can now be drawn up by joining the points from the step line (
line of walk to their analogs on the reference contour (3) (fig. 2)
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Fig. 2. The graphic construction of the balanced staircase with a 180 turn using
the arc method
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Fig. 3 The graphic construction of the balanced staircase with a 180 turn
using the equal segments method
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the last point (from the random line) is joined with N (from the staircase
axis), found at the intersection between the balancing line and the staircase
axis, thus obtaining the III-N segment
referencing to the III-N segment, parallels are drawn starting from the
other points determined on the random line (IV-VIII) until it intersects the
staircase axis
these intersection points ( marked 4...8) are joined to their analogs on the
step line (4...8) , thus obtaining the corresponding balanced steps
Fig. 4 The graphic construction of the balanced staircase with a 180 turn
using the proportional segments method
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The angle method
After determining the number of steps that need balancing, as well as the
balancing limit line (1) , the first balanced tread is drawn (2) using ,in this
method, a minimum width of 12 cm per balanced tread
two steps,a and b, that intersect at 90 are drawn ata reasonable scale
(for example 1/10) (3) and (4)
from the initial 90 a line c is being drawn , at aprox . 20 over the
horizontal
on this line , a certain number of segments will be drawn , as many as
the numeber of the unbalanced steps;the segments represent the width the
treads have on the step line (the dimension of line c will be equal to the
length of the balancing zone on the step line)
line b will have the dimension equal to the unfolded balanced staircase
part on the reference contour
lines b and c are united and the resulting line d is continued until it
intersects line a (6)
the points from c are joined with the intersection point between a and d ;
the resulting segments on b are equal to the length of the balancing tread
on the reference contour (fig. 5)
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Fig. 5. The graphic construction of the balanced staircase with a 180 turn
using the angle method
The stairs must meet the following quality requirements: strength and
stability, fire safety, safety in use, acoustics protection.
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Hygiene, human health and environmental protection requirements can
be considered complied with if the construction and finishing materials emit
no pollutants.
Reinforced concrete stairs can have load bearing flights of stairs, made of
monolithic reinforced concrete or prefabricated and with steps finished with
other materials. The flights structural system is of the smooth or wrinkled
load bearing slab type.
The usual construction system made of monolith reinforced concrete shows
the following:
advantages in execution:
simple and economical casings, inventory casings can also be used;
simple reinforcement system;
convenient casting.
disadvantages in execution:
the stair is being executed by different teams of workers (smiths - benders
and other workers specialized in finishes, tiling, carpentry, etc), in different
work stages; work accuracy is different for the two categories of workers;
work-site circulation is more difficult and requires troubleshooting with
improvised devices, until resolving the raw steps or directly the finished
steps. In this situation the finishing workmanship (including the raw
concrete steps) is more expensive but more accurate.
the construction system of the "wrinkled slab bearing with rigid knotts "
type is more difficult to calculate and execute. For this reason, the solution
is used for decorative stairs in unique buildings.
the type of construction system consisting of the load bearing slab made
of prefabricated reinforced concrete has the following features:
the raw steps are executed along with the resistance structure;
they have controlled geometry, enabling the reduction of manual labor
when executing the finishes;
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there are also already finished prefabs, generally produced by specialized
companies;
it ensures time savings for the manual labor on the construction site;
it requires powerful cranes (the weight of prefabricated elements is
between 1,000 and 5,000 kg), which justify their use for high-rise
buildings.
with load bearing prefabricated steps and monolithic or prefabricated cast
stringers.
they can be installed on the building site by lightweight lifting machines
(the weight of the prefabricated elements is generally less than 500 kg
(rarely 800 kg)), and they can be used on small sites with few levels;
the solution is interesting especially for prefabricated elements already
finished, produced by specialized firms.
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position (interior or exterior) and stair manufacturers
recommendations (if any).
in the case of stainless steel, aluminum, copper or brass stairs, the
problem of maintenance over time consists of avoiding mattifying the
shiny surfaces, especially on the stepping surface in the area most
used, perhaps by chemical treatment of surfaces and mattifying. In the
case of stairs with heavy traffic degradation of surfaces (even the
matte ones) due to scratching should be considered.
Stone stairs - are stairs with load-bearing stone steps; they can be
supported on the ground, embedded in the masonry walls, or supported on
stone or brick arches.
The stone blocks end in a parallelepiped shape in order to be easily
concealed by weaving together with the masonry blocks.
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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.
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.
To finish the stairs with usual conformation there are specially designed
plinth profiles or regular plinths can be used for floors, with the amendment
that in the case of stairs with a complex profile special attention to joints must
be paid.
Decorative profiles, in the case of stairs, refer to the finishing of the risers or
of the visible side. Usually it is made of plaster and glued in place along with
other finishes. As finishing versions there are also expanded polystyrene
profiles.
CONCLUSIONS:
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The stair is a constructive assembly, perfectly determined geometrically,
through a formula, the height of the railing, and yet the choice and process of
the material, its installation and use can lead to a faulty operation of an
assembly or another.
People with faulty vision might find it hard to distinguish the steps and risers of
the same color.
The dark colors of steps can be misleading, as they can be mistaken for the
umbrellas left on the counter-step.
Providing stair illumination and appropriate accessories will help remove one of
the causes of accidents due to the designer's ignorance.
The correct location of windows, lamps and switches (which should be
accessible and easy to find) should solve some problems.
National regulations require that all stair steps should have the same height.
Studies have shown that most stair accidents are due to faulty execution, with
height variations.
Slippery surfaces: slip surfaces (shiny) or accidentally doused favor slipping;
loose rugs or carpets that induce a horizontal movement between the fabric
and the step finish.
Anti-slip materials can be provided in both the design phase and the execution
and operation phases.
Date : Architect:
21 01.2014 Nawzad Maaroof
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