Staircase

Types & design consideration

The longest staircase in the world

is located at the Niesenbahn railway
in Switzerland. It contains 11,674 steps
and spans a height of 5,476 feet.
• Function
• Considerations for
design
• Types
• Materials
• parts of a stairway
/staircase
• Construction
details
A staircase is a structure built , installed or erected for the main
purpose of ascending or descending levels within a building / structure,
Or without ; such as terraces, pavilions , buildings ,trees, hills etc.

Function
• To ascend or descend levels
• To maintain connectivity between
spaces
• To be aesthetically appealing
• To maintain visual control / privacy
• To maximize efficiency
• To allow easy access between
levels
 Intended What ?

use:- Public use Private use For whom?

Young / old /people

with disabilities
Or special needs /
Where ? general

Buildings : Single users

Exterior
General or special use Or masses
Which type?
Transit facilities/
Temporary facilities
Play equipment,
parks
Residence , offices Which type?
Hospitals/ stations
Which type?
Suitability & design Where to be located?

indicators
Spatial requisites :
Sizes, heights etc.

L-shaped, spiral
Which type?

Materials

Appearance

Safety & Method

Other uses
who???
Where???
 As per material: As per
Wood importance & location:
Metal
Stone Types Fire escapes
Service staircase
Brick Grand staircase
Concrete External staircase
Glass Internal staircase

As per landing & step type:

composites Open newel/ open well
Newel
Quarter turn
Half landing
U – turn
As per layout / form:
Winders / winding
L- shaped
Doglegged
As per
Bifurcated
Method of construction:
Spiral
Prefabricated
Circular / geometric
Cast-in-situ
Straight
Floating
Suspended
Types : I
Types : eg.
Type : II Wood
As per material

Brick

Stone
Composites
concrete

Glass
Floating / open riser staircase

Type :III & IV

Suspended staircase
& prefabricated
Components and terminology
Stairway
– This term is often reserved
for the entire stairwell and
staircase in combination;
though often it is used
interchangeably with "stairs"
and "staircase". This term is
often reserved for the stairs
themselves: the steps,
railings and landings; though
often it is used
interchangeably with "stairs"
and "stairway". In the UK,
however, the term
"staircase" denotes what in
the U.S. is called "stairway",
but usually includes the
casing – the walls,
bannisters and underside of
the stairs or roof above.
Staircase:
– This comprises the whole of
the stair construction and is the
name given to the space or
enclosure which contains the
stairs.
• Step : The step is composed of the
tread and riser / the tread and riser
combined

• Tread : The top or horizontal surface

of a step The part of the stairway that
is stepped on. The tread "depth" is
measured from the outer edge of the
step to the vertical "riser" between
steps. The "width" is measured from
one side to the other.

• Riser : The vertical portion between

each tread on the stair. This may be
missing for an "open" stair effect.
or
the board that forms the face of the
step..
• Starting step or Bullnose step :
Where stairs are open on one or both
sides, the first step above the lower floor
may be wider than the other steps and
rounded
or
It is usually at the bottom of the stairs with
one or both ends of the step having a
quarter circle design.

Curtail Step - a decorative shaped step at

the bottom of the stairs usually
accommodating the volute and volute newel
turning of the Continuous Handrail System.

• Nosing:
Nosing - the edge of the tread projecting
beyond the face of
the riser and the face of a cut string.
or
An edge part of the tread that protrudes
over the riser beneath. If it is present, this
means that horizontally, the total "run"
length of the stairs is not simply the sum of
the tread lengths, the treads actually overlap
each other slightly
• , Stringer board or sometimes just
String
– The structural member that
supports the treads and
risers. There are typically two
stringers, one on either side
of the stairs; though the
treads may be supported
many other ways. The
stringers are sometimes
notched so that the risers and
treads fit into them. Stringers
on open-sided stairs are often
open themselves so that the
treads are visible from the
side. Such stringers are
called "cut" stringers.
Stringers on a closed side of
the stairs are closed, with the
support for the treads routed
into the stringer.
• Winder:
This is an angular-shaped
step
– 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.
When three steps are
used to turn a 90° corner,
the middle step is called a
kite winder as a kite-
shaped quadrilateral.
or
are radiating steps
narrower at one end that
are
used to change the
direction of a stairs
through 90° or 180°
• Going / Run - the going
of a flight of stairs is the
horizontal distance
between the face of the
first and last risers. The
individual
going of a step is
measured from face of
riser to face of riser
and for domestic use
should be a minimum of
220mm.

• Rise - the rise of a flight is

the vertical distance
between the
floors or landings
connected by the flight.
The individual rise is the
vertical measurement from
top of tread to top of tread.
• Trim
– Trim (e.g. quarter-round or
baseboard trim) is normally
applied where walls meet
floors and often underneath
treads to hide the reveal
where the tread and riser
meet. Shoe moulding may
be used between where the
lower floor and the first riser
meet. Trimming a starting
step is a special challenge
as the last riser above the
lower floor is rounded.
Flexible, plastic trim is
available for this purpose,
however wooden mouldings
are still used and are either
cut from a single piece of
rounded wood, or bent with
laminations is concave
moulding that is underneath
the nosing between the riser
and the tread above it.
 The Railing system types
• Handrails may be continuous (sometimes called over-the-post) or post-to-post (or more
accurately "newel-to-newel"). For continuous handrails on long balconies, there may be
multiple newels and tandem caps to cover the newels. At corners, there are quarter-turn
caps. For post-to-post systems, the newels project above the handrails.
• Another, more classical, form of handrailing which is still in use is the tangent method. A
variant of the Cylindric method of layout, it allows for continuous climbing and twisting
rails and Easings. It was defined from principles set down by architect Peter Nicholson
in the 18th century.
 The railing system terms
• Balustrade : The balustrade is the
system of railings and balusters that
prevents people from falling over the
edge.
or
the collective name for the complete
assembly of handrails, baserails,
newels, spindles and caps.

• Banister, Railing or Handrail :

– The angled member for handholding,
as distinguished from the vertical
balusters which hold it up for stairs that
are open on one side; there is often a
railing on both sides, sometimes only
on one side or not at all, on wide
staircases there is sometimes also one
in the middle, or even more. The term
"banister" is sometimes used to mean
just the handrail, or sometimes the
handrail and the balusters or
sometimes just the balusters
• Flight :
– A flight is an uninterrupted
series of steps / a continuous
series of steps between two
landings.
• Floating stairs :
– A flight of stairs is said to be
"floating" if there is nothing
underneath. The risers are
typically missing as well to
emphasize the open effect.
There may be only one
stringer or the stringers
otherwise minimized. Where
building codes allow, there
may not even be handrails.
Baluster
A term for the vertical posts that
hold up the handrail.
Sometimes simply called
guards or spindles. Treads
often require two balusters. The
second baluster is closer to the
riser and is taller than the first.
The extra height in the second
baluster is typically in the
middle between decorative
elements on the baluster. That
way the bottom decorative
elements are aligned with the
tread and the top elements are
aligned with the railing angle.
or
Baluster/Spindle - the vertical
member, plain or decorative,
that acts as the infill between
the handrail and baserail (or
tread if cut string).
• Newel
– A large baluster or post used
to anchor the handrail. Since it
is a structural element, it
extends below the floor and
subfloor to the bottom of the
floor joists and is bolted right
to the floor joist. A half-newel
may be used where a railing
ends in the wall. Visually, it
looks like half the newel is
embedded in the wall. For
open landings, a newel may
extend below the landing for a
decorative newel drop.
• Landing or Platform
– A landing is the area of a floor near the top
or bottom step of a stair. An intermediate
landing is a small platform that is built as
part of the stair between main floor levels
and is typically used to allow stairs to
change directions, or to allow the user a
rest. As intermediate landings consume
floor space they can be expensive to build.
However, changing the direction of the
stairs allows stairs to fit where they would
not otherwise, or provides privacy to the
upper level as visitors downstairs cannot
simply look up the stairs to the upper level
due to the change in direction.
or
A platform forming a kind of
halting-place between two flights of
stairs.
A quarter-space landing forms a
space, usually a rectangle, equal in
width an length to the breadth of the two
flights which it separates.
A half-space landing extends the
total width of the staircase.
 Other terminology
Balcony
– For stairs with an open
concept upper floor or
landing, the upper floor is
functionally a balcony.
For a straight flight of
stairs, the balcony may
be long enough to
require multiple newels
to support the length of
railing
Volute
– A handrail end element
for the bullnose step that
curves inward like a
spiral. A volute is said to
be right or left-handed
depending on which side
of the stairs the handrail
is as one faces up the
stairs
• Pitch - the angle between the pitch
line and the horizontal.
Pitch Line - the notional line
connecting the nosings of all
treads in a flight of stairs.
or
The pitch line is the imaginary line
along the tip of the nosing of the
treads.
Rake - the pitch of the stairs.

String Margin - the distance between

the top of the string
and the pitch line measured at 90° to
the pitch line.
• Runner
– Carpeting that runs down
the middle of the stairs.
Runners may be directly
stapled or nailed to the
stairs, or may be secured
by specialized bar that
holds the carpet in place
where the tread meets the
riser.
• Spandrel
– If there is not another flight
of stairs immediately
underneath, the triangular
space underneath the
stairs is called a "spandrel".
It is frequently used as a
closet.
• Well-hole
. : the open
space enclosed by the
stairs.

Stairwell :The
space/void provided
for the stairs

• Soffit
-The underside of a
structural component,
such as a beam, arch,
staircase, or cornice

• Headroom is the
height above the
nosing of a tread to
the ceiling above it.
 Core-rail
An iron band is frequently
used in geometrical
stairs to give extra strength
and stiffness
to the handrail. It is generally
about 4 in. thick,
being screwed into a groove
formed in the
underside of the handrail. It is
especially
necessary for the curved
portions of the
handrail, where the grain of
the wood is often cut across
Wall String - the string of a
staircase fixed flush with a
wall.

Closed String - a string with

the face housed/trenched to
accommodate treads and
risers so their profile cannot be
seen.

Cut or Open String - a string

with the upper edge cut away
to the shape of the treads and
risers so that their profile can
be
seen from the side.
Continuous Handrail - using
straight lengths of handrail
connected to handrail fittings
and ramps, the handrail flows
over the tops of newel turnings
creating a continuous run of
handrail.
• Baserail or Shoerail
– For systems where the
baluster does not start at the
treads, they go to a baserail.
This allows for identical
balusters, avoiding the second
baluster problem.
• Fillet
– A decorative filler piece on the
floor between balusters on a
balcony railing.
• Turnout
– Instead of a complete spiral
volute, a turnout is a quarter-turn
rounded end to the handrail.
• Gooseneck
– The vertical handrail that joins a
sloped handrail to a higher
handrail on the balcony or landing
is a gooseneck.
• Rosette
– Where the handrail ends in the
wall and a half-newel is not used,
it may be trimmed by a rosette.
• Easings
– Wall handrails are mounted
directly onto the wall with
wall brackets. At the bottom
of the stairs such railings
flare to a horizontal railing
and this horizontal portion
is called a "starting easing".
At the top of the stairs, the
horizontal portion of the
railing is called a "over
easing".
 Stair Measurements
• The rise height or rise of each step
is measured from the top of one tread
to the next. It is not the physical height
of the riser; the latter excludes the
thickness of the tread. A person using
the stairs would move this distance
vertically for each step they take.

• The tread depth is measured from the

edge of the nosing to the vertical riser.
&
The going is measured from the
edge of the nosing to the edge of
nosing in plan view. A person using
the stairs would move this distance
forward with each step they take & it
should be 220mm for a domestic use.

• The total run or total going of the

stairs is the horizontal distance from
the first riser to the last riser. It is often
not simply the sum of the individual
tread lengths due to the nosing
overlapping between treads.
• The total rise of the stairs is
the height between floors (or
landings) that the flight of stairs
is spanning. To avoid
confusion, the number of steps
in a set of stairs is always the
number of risers, not the
number of treads
Run

• The slope or pitch of the

stairs is the total rise divided
by the total run (not the
individual riser and treads due Rise
to the nosing). It is sometimes
called the rake of the stairs. In
the UK, stair pitch is measured
in degrees from the horizontal.

• The maximum individual rise

for domestic flights is 220mm
• Landing width:
- Should be 90- 100 cm for domestic
use & as per building codes
for other buildings types.

• Walkline – for curved stairs, the

inner radius of the curve may result
in very narrow treads. The "walkline"
is the imaginary line some distance
away from the inner edge on which
people are expected to walk. Building
code will specify the distance.
Building codes will then specify the
minimum tread size at the walkline.

• No. of Treads = the span or going

divided by
the width of one tread
• No. of Risers = the total height to be
ascended divided by the height of
one riser
 Ergonomics and building code
requirements
• Ergonomically and for
safety reasons, stairs
have to have certain
measurements in order
for people to comfortably
use them. Building codes
will typically specify
certain measurements so
that the stairs are not too
steep or narrow.
Staircase Detailing:
Cross sections
of railings
Joint between stringer & newel post
Moulding details for Easings
Joints of floor finish, studs with
joists
Marking & Fitting :
Plan & elevation
of dog legged
stair
A half-turn stair which has no
wellhole between successive flights; the
rail and balusters of the upper and
under flights fall in the same vertical
plane.

Advantages :
• To allow an arrangement that
occupies a shorter, though wider,
floor area . more compact
• The upper floor is not directly
visible from the bottom of the
stairs, thereby providing more
privacy .
• An object or person falling from
the upper half of the stairs is
likely to stop at the landing; this
is safer
L – shaped
stair
Quarter turn staircase
Connectors
Metal circular stair details
Glass staircase
Plywood staircase
Concrete staircase
 Stone
staircase
brick stairs construction details
 Grandiose

Staircase Decorative

concepts Storage ideas &

Space savers

Fantastic

Hidden

Focal points
The grandiose / the mega scale:
The fantastic :
Melk
 Escalators

Stairlifts

Other
mechanisms for Lifts / Elevators
level change
ramps
• A wheelchair stair lift is a
device that allows a wheelchair
user to ride up or down a flight
of stairs unaided. It
incorporates a platform that
enables a wheelchair to be
wheeled straight on, then
locked in place to prevent it
moving
• The user remains seated in
the wheelchair during the ride
up or down and the unit is
driven by an electric motor. It
runs along a track or ramp
fitted to the stair risers
themselves.
• An escalator is a moving
staircase – a conveyor transport
device for carrying people
between floors of a building. The
device consists of a motor-driven
chain of individual, linked steps
that move up or down on tracks,
allowing the step treads to remain
horizontal.
Escalators are used around the
world to move pedestrian traffic in
places where elevators would be
impractical
areas of usage include
department stores, shopping
malls, airports, transit systems,
convention centers, hotels, and
public buildings.
• An elevator (or lift
in British English)
is a vertical
transport
equipment that
efficiently moves
people or goods
between floors
(levels, decks) of a
building, vessel or
other structure.
Elevators are
generally powered
by electric motors
that either drive
traction cables and
counterweight
systems like a
hoist, or pump
hydraulic fluid to
raise a cylindrical
piston like a jack.
Thank you