I'm going to attempt to post an image of a small model. At one stage of the game I got enthusiastic about expanded mesh. tube under the middle needs to do some serious structural work. Howard - Canberra
le bossman
Nov 12, 10 12:54 pm
that's about a specific stair. this thread is pertinent to ALL stairs son.
Nam Henderson
Dec 20, 20 12:33 pm
Reviving (a better term than necro'ing, no?) this old thread to share this minimal take as part of a nice adaptive reuse/expansion by Giulia De Appolonia.
Nam, I believe some of stair is clear carbon fiber.
citizen
Dec 20, 20 9:09 pm
It reminds me of a spinal column. Reclined ;o]
And how far do those cable intermediates span? Amazing.
(And I don't hate that sculpture on the table, while we're at it.)
Wood Guy
Dec 20, 20 3:13 pm
From a project I was lead designer on. (i.e., I was involved in the design but others were as well.)
Wood Guy
Dec 20, 20 3:16 pm
From the interior of the same project.
apscoradiales
Dec 20, 20 5:40 pm
what material are the stairs?
Wood Guy
Dec 20, 20 7:15 pm
Whitewashed quartersawn white oak. They look lighter here than in person, partly due to the huge windows directly behind the camera. The wall is black walnut with seven coats of hand-rubbed boiled linseed oil, with custom splines made of Richlite so there are no visible fasteners at all.
apscoradiales
Dec 20, 20 7:19 pm
Gorgeous! I thought they might be polished travertine.
Wood Guy
Dec 20, 20 7:26 pm
Thanks! I coordinated things but did not come up with the concept. I can see thinking they're travertine. It's too bad the photo is washed out. I could post more pics but don't want to take over the thread. We used gray travertine for the floor and walls of the principle bathroom. This is actually a walkout basement with dark gray porcelain tile on the floor, though it looks light gray.
apscoradiales
Dec 20, 20 7:34 pm
Do post pics, please.
Wood Guy
Dec 21, 20 7:50 am
Aps, you can see more photos of the project here, including a close-up of the stairs: http://www.finelinesmaine.com/gallery/item/broad-cove-contemporary. That's the design/build firm where I was design manager. This project started as a typical 1960s ranch house (maybe a bit more than typical--it was featured in Better Homes and Gardens at one point) with the classic Andersen picture windows and boring details.
apscoradiales
Dec 21, 20 9:37 am
All lovely stuff! I like how they are all typically American style houses...no fake Mexican haciendas or Austrian-style Alpine houses - even though there is nothing wrong with them as long as they are in their native environment. Good work.
Wood Guy
Dec 21, 20 10:04 am
Thank you. I only designed a few of the projects shown and one could argue that the Greek Revival designs my employer was obsessed with are copies of copies of copies, but at least it's a common historical style around here. With the ranch-style house we were going for a midcentury modern feel but updated. So also fake, but at least the materials were mostly natural. Is anything truly unique?
SneakyPete
Apr 30, 21 4:10 pm
Is the gap at the left wall open to below or is there a bottom to the reveal?
randomised
Dec 21, 20 3:54 am
more a handrail than a stair, but still amazing:
SneakyPete
Apr 30, 21 4:09 pm
Lewerentz is great. I find it frustrating because he's responsible for so many details that just aren't allowed or possible in my projects but all of my PICs keep demanding them.
Nam Henderson
Feb 14, 21 12:31 pm
Here the stair itself isn't so interesting but the handrail is unique...
Casa Witiza via Domus photo by Josè Hevia
natematt
Feb 15, 21 12:21 am
Like many things... this looks dangerous...but fun.
Nam Henderson
Apr 29, 21 11:58 pm
an "Art Barn" designed by architect Thomas Randall-Page for his father
Nam Henderson
Apr 30, 21 12:00 am
Also dig this detail
randomised
Apr 30, 21 6:56 am
Is that cork on the wall?
SneakyPete
Apr 30, 21 1:51 pm
Cork is a lovely wall material. Also floor material. FLW used it at the fallingwater bathrooms.
Non Sequitur
Apr 30, 21 2:44 pm
very convenient if you want to pin posters everywhere.
tduds
Apr 30, 21 2:47 pm
I'd be worried about cork on a bathroom floor absorbing the, uh, falling water.
Everyday Architect
Apr 30, 21 3:09 pm
Would you believe me if I told you that cork is naturally mold and mildew resistant, doesn't support growth of other biological agents, and doesn't absorb the, uh, falling water?
tduds
Apr 30, 21 3:24 pm
Great news!
Non Sequitur
Apr 30, 21 3:33 pm
are... are you offering a demonstration EA? Because if you are, I might pass and take your word instead.
Everyday Architect
Apr 30, 21 6:54 pm
Your loss NS. Who doesn't want to demonstrate this in a FLW designed bathroom?
I actually have cork flooring in my apartment, everywhere except the bathroom. The cork was glued to the concrete floor already when we moved in and just decided to paint it white instead.
Nam Henderson
Jun 18, 21 12:31 am
Here it isn't so much the stairs themselves as that structural mess.
These posts are great, Nam. Thanks for stepping up.
Nam Henderson
Mar 21, 22 12:49 am
My pleasure, glad someone is digging it!
JonathanLivingston
Mar 21, 22 3:14 pm
You're totally raising the level of discourse around here to a new level.
will galloway
Mar 23, 22 2:29 pm
interior and exterior stairs from a recent-ish project in Tokyo, with a dance studio on ground floor and living on 2 floors above. We made the stairs minimal as possible, aiming for something like a comic-book simplicity.
from dance studio to living space above
entry direct from street to the living
Nam Henderson
Mar 26, 22 4:18 pm
That's a lovely turn and shade of blue!
citizen
Mar 23, 22 3:02 pm
Looking at Will's post above, I was just remembering the good-old-bad-old days, designing houses for small lots in Venice (CA). We could meet code with stairs 30" wide (clear), with 8" risers and 9" treads. Almost a ship's ladder by today's standard, but how much flexibility it gave for floor planning!
will galloway
Mar 23, 22 4:19 pm
Japan's code for houses allows for min750mm stairs (incl railing). And much steeper stairs than these. We have yet to build the legal limit as they are just a bit too close to ladders. But it does make it possible to build on a tight site. Amazingly, since the building code is national Tokyo and other urban centers set the code for the entire nation. Not to give an incorrect impression, anything other than houses is much more strict.
Chad Miller
Mar 23, 22 5:48 pm
Here are some 'see through stairs' we did a few years ago on a middles school project. We used 1/8" perforated bend plates for the risers with metal pan concrete treads.
Nam Henderson
Dec 3, 22 1:07 am
a "commercial building hallway, Centro, Buenos Aires."
That is super cool. I love watching my steel fabricator roll railings through his forming tool, turning straight pipe into curves. What's up with the transition to straight railing, though?!
HOWIE46
Dec 4, 22 5:22 am
I'm going to attempt to post an image a second time. It's a small model of a steep stair. At one stage of the game I got enthusiastic about expanded mesh. A tube under the middle needs to do some serious structural work. Howard - Canberra
Wood Guy
Feb 19, 23 10:49 am
Cool concept. Have you used alternating tread stairs? One of my builders uses them for temporary stairs. I'm coordinated but find them tricky to use.
Nam Henderson
Feb 18, 23 11:10 pm
What do we think of this? Not sure I love(d) hardware details/lumber-looks but presumably more of a proof of concept and could be made more finally crafted or "lux"...
Wood Guy
Feb 19, 23 10:47 am
Looks like typical site-built scaffolding to me. Probably not used much in urban areas but still seen regularly out here in the sticks. The wall iis more interesting than the stairs, to me.
Nam Henderson
Mar 23, 23 12:30 am
I count (at least) 2 maybe 3 neat stairs in this project by architettura-m via Domus
+
+
Volunteer
Mar 23, 23 10:17 am
Unless the stairs can be used by an elderly, or other person with permanent or temporary disability, they are a fail. The third photo from then bottom especially so.
b3tadine[sutures]
Mar 23, 23 1:17 pm
Meh. Merican.
Chad Miller
Mar 23, 23 1:21 pm
I don't know too many people with a physical disability where a handrail on the stairs makes everything OK. In these types of situations stairs in general are not a good idea.
Volunteer
Mar 23, 23 3:56 pm
Well, no handrail on the stairs makes everything not OK. I am temporarily disabled right now and am using one handrail on the side of the stairs I installed when we moved in years ago, when nwe did not need it, as well as the one on the other side of the stairs that was already there. The stairs are about five feet in length.
Chad Miller
Mar 23, 23 4:00 pm
Sounds like you shouldn't be using stairs. My doctor and PT friends say that if you can't use stairs without relying on the handrail(s) then you shouldn't be using them. That can't always happen like in your situation Volunteer. It's a good baseline though.
Volunteer
Mar 23, 23 4:09 pm
Your doctor is an idiot
Chad Miller
Mar 23, 23 4:13 pm
Not my doctor. A doctor friend who is a disability specialist. Also a physical therapist that only works with physically disabled people. I'm going to believe her over you. Please keep in mind that a lot of people have to use the stairs even when they shouldn't. That's different and not ideal.
Why because the wood vs metal contrast? Or just the specific finish, sizing of this wood version? I'm imagining there could be a more industrial scaled/finish version, less handrail more raw timber or even Shou sugi ban, that would "match" better?
gwharton
Oct 30, 23 7:16 pm
They spent a LOT of money on all that metal, and kind of cheaped out on the wood rail. Even if it wasn't actually cheap, it looks like contractor-grade stuff. Too bad.
b3tadine[sutures]
Oct 30, 23 9:10 pm
I don't hate the wood so much as I hate the connecting element to the wood and plate steel. That, is regrettable.
Nam Henderson
Jan 15, 24 12:25 am
Author/critic Owen Hatherley shared a nice range of stair (related) images from a trip to Hong Kong/China. Including;
Also was a bit surprised by the seeming amount of Moderne buildings in Hong Kong.
Hello
I'm a huge fan of stairs. I want to talk about, and see pictures of, interesting stairs.
I'm going to attempt to post an image of a small model. At one stage of the game I got enthusiastic about expanded mesh. tube under the middle needs to do some serious structural work. Howard - Canberra
that's about a specific stair. this thread is pertinent to ALL stairs son.
Reviving (a better term than necro'ing, no?) this old thread to share this minimal take as part of a nice adaptive reuse/expansion by Giulia De Appolonia.
Atelier XYZ - Nicolò Galeazzi
via Domus
Some more good stair...though not a huge fan of the interior "monolithic" gray.
photo by Ivo Tavares Studio
Via Domus
photo by brent moss.
Also did this one, photo from zillow
and this while in progress and finshed
2
3
photo by brent moss
I love these stairs, take a look at the link.
Fuck that is gorgeous...is it really all wood?
That seems very slippery...
Nam, I believe some of stair is clear carbon fiber.
It reminds me of a spinal column. Reclined ;o]
And how far do those cable intermediates span? Amazing.
(And I don't hate that sculpture on the table, while we're at it.)
From a project I was lead designer on. (i.e., I was involved in the design but others were as well.)
From the interior of the same project.
what material are the stairs?
Whitewashed quartersawn white oak. They look lighter here than in person, partly due to the huge windows directly behind the camera. The wall is black walnut with seven coats of hand-rubbed boiled linseed oil, with custom splines made of Richlite so there are no visible fasteners at all.
Gorgeous! I thought they might be polished travertine.
Thanks! I coordinated things but did not come up with the concept. I can see thinking they're travertine. It's too bad the photo is washed out. I could post more pics but don't want to take over the thread. We used gray travertine for the floor and walls of the principle bathroom. This is actually a walkout basement with dark gray porcelain tile on the floor, though it looks light gray.
Do post pics, please.
Aps, you can see more photos of the project here, including a close-up of the stairs: http://www.finelinesmaine.com/gallery/item/broad-cove-contemporary. That's the design/build firm where I was design manager. This project started as a typical 1960s ranch house (maybe a bit more than typical--it was featured in Better Homes and Gardens at one point) with the classic Andersen picture windows and boring details.
All lovely stuff! I like how they are all typically American style houses...no fake Mexican haciendas or Austrian-style Alpine houses - even though there is nothing wrong with them as long as they are in their native environment. Good work.
Thank you. I only designed a few of the projects shown and one could argue that the Greek Revival designs my employer was obsessed with are copies of copies of copies, but at least it's a common historical style around here. With the ranch-style house we were going for a midcentury modern feel but updated. So also fake, but at least the materials were mostly natural. Is anything truly unique?
Is the gap at the left wall open to below or is there a bottom to the reveal?
more a handrail than a stair, but still amazing:
Lewerentz is great. I find it frustrating because he's responsible for so many details that just aren't allowed or possible in my projects but all of my PICs keep demanding them.
Here the stair itself isn't so interesting but the handrail is unique...
Casa Witiza via Domus photo by Josè Hevia
Like many things... this looks dangerous...but fun.
an "Art Barn" designed by architect Thomas Randall-Page for his father
Also dig this detail
Is that cork on the wall?
Cork is a lovely wall material. Also floor material. FLW used it at the fallingwater bathrooms.
very convenient if you want to pin posters everywhere.
I'd be worried about cork on a bathroom floor absorbing the, uh, falling water.
Would you believe me if I told you that cork is naturally mold and mildew resistant, doesn't support growth of other biological agents, and doesn't absorb the, uh, falling water?
Great news!
are... are you offering a demonstration EA? Because if you are, I might pass and take your word instead.
Your loss NS. Who doesn't want to demonstrate this in a FLW designed bathroom?
Nam, what a rich project that Art Barn, love it: https://www.archdaily.com/960146/art-barn-thomas-randall-page , not just the cork but everything
I actually have cork flooring in my apartment, everywhere except the bathroom. The cork was glued to the concrete floor already when we moved in and just decided to paint it white instead.
Here it isn't so much the stairs themselves as that structural mess.
Just realized that should have read "mesh".
From the renewed and expanded La Samaritaine Paris Pont-Neuf department store by Sanaa et al via Domus
Love this photo, from the news, of the MKM Duisburg by Herzog & de Meuron
© Photo: Simon Menges
Also from the news via
These posts are great, Nam. Thanks for stepping up.
My pleasure, glad someone is digging it!
You're totally raising the level of discourse around here to a new level.
interior and exterior stairs from a recent-ish project in Tokyo, with a dance studio on ground floor and living on 2 floors above. We made the stairs minimal as possible, aiming for something like a comic-book simplicity.
from dance studio to living space above
entry direct from street to the living
That's a lovely turn and shade of blue!
Looking at Will's post above, I was just remembering the good-old-bad-old days, designing houses for small lots in Venice (CA). We could meet code with stairs 30" wide (clear), with 8" risers and 9" treads. Almost a ship's ladder by today's standard, but how much flexibility it gave for floor planning!
Japan's code for houses allows for min750mm stairs (incl railing). And much steeper stairs than these. We have yet to build the legal limit as they are just a bit too close to ladders. But it does make it possible to build on a tight site. Amazingly, since the building code is national Tokyo and other urban centers set the code for the entire nation. Not to give an incorrect impression, anything other than houses is much more strict.
Here are some 'see through stairs' we did a few years ago on a middles school project. We used 1/8" perforated bend plates for the risers with metal pan concrete treads.
via @Vanessa Bell
That is super cool. I love watching my steel fabricator roll railings through his forming tool, turning straight pipe into curves. What's up with the transition to straight railing, though?!
I'm going to attempt to post an image a second time. It's a small model of a steep stair. At one stage of the game I got enthusiastic about expanded mesh. A tube under the middle needs to do some serious structural work. Howard - Canberra
Cool concept. Have you used alternating tread stairs? One of my builders uses them for temporary stairs. I'm coordinated but find them tricky to use.
What do we think of this? Not sure I love(d) hardware details/lumber-looks but presumably more of a proof of concept and could be made more finally crafted or "lux"...
Looks like typical site-built scaffolding to me. Probably not used much in urban areas but still seen regularly out here in the sticks. The wall iis more interesting than the stairs, to me.
I count (at least) 2 maybe 3 neat stairs in this project by architettura-m via Domus
+
+
Unless the stairs can be used by an elderly, or other person with permanent or temporary disability, they are a fail. The third photo from then bottom especially so.
Meh. Merican.
I don't know too many people with a physical disability where a handrail on the stairs makes everything OK. In these types of situations stairs in general are not a good idea.
Well, no handrail on the stairs makes everything not OK. I am temporarily disabled right now and am using one handrail on the side of the stairs I installed when we moved in years ago, when nwe did not need it, as well as the one on the other side of the stairs that was already there. The stairs are about five feet in length.
Sounds like you shouldn't be using stairs. My doctor and PT friends say that if you can't use stairs without relying on the handrail(s) then you shouldn't be using them. That can't always happen like in your situation Volunteer. It's a good baseline though.
Your doctor is an idiot
Not my doctor. A doctor friend who is a disability specialist. Also a physical therapist that only works with physically disabled people. I'm going to believe her over you. Please keep in mind that a lot of people have to use the stairs even when they shouldn't. That's different and not ideal.
via Michael Shwartz
Strange choice of grab rail though.
Why because the wood vs metal contrast? Or just the specific finish, sizing of this wood version? I'm imagining there could be a more industrial scaled/finish version, less handrail more raw timber or even Shou sugi ban, that would "match" better?
They spent a LOT of money on all that metal, and kind of cheaped out on the wood rail. Even if it wasn't actually cheap, it looks like contractor-grade stuff. Too bad.
I don't hate the wood so much as I hate the connecting element to the wood and plate steel. That, is regrettable.
Author/critic Owen Hatherley shared a nice range of stair (related) images from a trip to Hong Kong/China. Including;
Also was a bit surprised by the seeming amount of Moderne buildings in Hong Kong.