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Types of Stair Design, Stair Function and Construction
The basic forms of stairs are as follows:
Straight Flight A set of stairs sometimes with a central landing, in one direction only linking the floors.
Dogleg The flight turns on itself at a landing to go back in the reverse direction. There is no opening between the stairs therefore the landing will be double the width of the stair.
Open Well Stair This is leaving a space between the stairs. It may occur on two three or four flights or more. In effect the stair well is left open. Walls to the outside and balustrades to the inside. There is a view from floor to floor through the well.
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The Spiral Stair The stair rises and is supported around a central column. All the treads are tapered. These (depending on your building code) may only be used for certain situations. It also depends on the width of each tread as each tread has a minimum size that it can be to support a foot safely. Each step must be tapered. The outside width must be a wider than the inside width. The Curved Stair This is a similar to the spiral stair in that some if not all of the treads are tapered. However the basic support system for a curved stair is as for a straight flight with outer and inner strings. |
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Obviously it has to get you from one level to the next but it also has some other functions that are not quite so obvious. It must be able to carry as much load if not more than the floor it is accessing. E.g. the piano to be moved upstairs goes via the stair so it also copes with a live/moving load, therefore the force exerted is not just down. It must be large enough to take the size of all objects and persons on the stair. People must be able to pass safely on the stair. It must be stable when force is applied to the stair i.e. it can not be allowed to have a large degree of flexibility or movement. In many cases this stair well need to be built from materials that do not easily catch fire as another function of the stair is that it is a means of escape in the case of fire. Critical Sizes For Stairs Visit the website dedicated to stairs for more information on stair design and photographs of staircases. |
In this Section:
Construction Contents | House Insulation - Energy Efficiency | Construction for Interior Design | Proportion & Balance | Home Theater Design | Foundations, the Substrate | Forces on Buildings | Framed Members and Structure | Walls | Openings In Walls | Windows | Glass | Stairs | Sound Control | Ceilings | Creative Ceilings |
Construction Contents | House Insulation - Energy Efficiency | Construction for Interior Design | Proportion & Balance | Home Theater Design | Foundations, the Substrate | Forces on Buildings | Framed Members and Structure | Walls | Openings In Walls | Windows | Glass | Stairs | Sound Control | Ceilings | Creative Ceilings |
