Types of STAIRCASES

A stair is a convenient means of access between the floors of a building. It is constructed to provide
ready, easy, comfortable and safe ascent/descent with series of steps that are neither laborious nor
difficult to climb within an enclosure called stairwell (staircase).Stairs may be made from
timber, bricks, stone, metal and plain and reinforced cement concrete. Finishing of
marble, tiles or plaster. Any well planned stair should meet the following criteria for easy, quick and safe
ascent/descent.

1. Location: It should be located so as to get sufficient light and ventilation with easy access from all the
rooms.

2. Stair width: Varies with situation however should follow the standard recommended dimensions
according to the building types.

3. Length of flight: A flight should have not lesser than three risers and not more than 16 risers.

4. Pitch of stair: Stairs are pitched from 15 degrees to 55 degrees; however recommended angle is
between 25 to 40 degrees. Pitch of long should be flattened by using landings.

5. Headroom: Minimum Clearance from tread to the soffit of stair above (true vertical measurement) is
2.1m.

6. Materials: Should be fire resisting as far as possible.

7. Baluster: Open well stairs should have it to avoid accidents.

8. Landing: Width of the landing should not be less than with of the stair flight at any case.

9. Winders: Should be avoided as far as possible, if not, should be kept at lower end of flight. These are
not suitable for public buildings.

10. Step Proportions: The rise/going of each step in one flight and in flights and landing between floors
should be equal. Any variations may spoil rhythm. The rise/going are proportioned so as to ensure
comfortable access.

Types of stairs
Inclined stair with half space landing
 I) reduction in effective span / economic reinforcement
II) landings span onto load bearing walls or beams
III) flights span from landing to landing
IV) the point of intersection of the soffits to the flights are detailed as:
 intersection or change in one line
 gives better underside visual appearance
 riser lines of first and last steps in consecutive flights are offset in plan
 intersection or change in out of line
 riser lines of first and last steps in consecutive flights are in line in plan
 as per reinforcement pattern, tension laps are required at top and bottom of each flight

An inclined staircase with half landing space in Nairobi

Cranked slab stair

 used as very special feature since half space landing has no support and designed as cantilever
slabs
 higher amount of reinforcement may create problem in placing and compacting of concrete
 also called continuous stair or scissor stair or jack knife stair

Catholic university of eastern Africa lecture hall with cranked slab staircases.

Cantilever stair

 also called spine wall stair

 has a vertical wall from which the flights and half space landings cantilevered
 reinforcement is placed at top of flight and upper surface of landing (to counteract induced
negative Bending Moment)
 spine wall provides some fire resistance between flights and used as external / fire escape stair
 plan arrangement can be both single straight flight and two equal flights with an intermediate half
space landing
 KICC conference hall
Spiral stair

 used in foyers of prestigious buildings

 expensive to construct (seven times the cost of normal stair)
 formed around a central large diameter circular column like the cantilevered stair
 possible to design open spiral stair with elliptical core
 reinforcement placed to both faces of slab in the form of radial bars bent as per slab curve,
distribution bars across the width of flight (as usual)

Oasis kindergarten spiral staircase