INTERIORS A guide to bespoke staircases


Antonia Harding of British Spirals and Castings discusses the various factors architects and specifiers need to bear in mind when selecting a bespoke staircase


staircase provides a key focal point in a property and its design can have a significant bearing not only on how easy it is for occupants to get from floor-to-floor, but also on the arrangement and overall feel of the property. To get the best results, it’s worth considering the advantages of a bespoke staircase. While these are more costly than mass produced ‘kit’ alternatives, they also give specifiers much greater control over the overall dimensions and style of the staircase. When specifying bespoke staircases, there are a number of aspects to consider.


A Style


A standard straight staircase has a long, linear footprint which requires a good amount of available floor space on the lower level. If space is limited, a spiral staircase or kited staircase (a straight staircase with a 90° turn) may be more appropriate, due to their reduced footprint. On the other hand, if you have a larger volume such as a foyer, where space is less of a concern, then a helical staircase (a curved staircase with no central pillar) can help to make a statement.


‘Clear width’


The staircase width should also be determined by its end use. A main staircase within a home or a public building will need to be wide enough to allow two or more users to pass each other (typically a 900 mm clear width or more). In contrast, a staircase to a utility space can be much narrower (as little as 600 mm). The key measure for the width of a staircase is the ‘clear width’ (also known as the effective width), this is the unobstructed width of the tread. For example, if a staircase has handrails which overhang the treads on both sides, the clear width is measured from the inner face of one handrail to the inner face of the other. Minimum clear widths are set for different types of staircase within Approved Document K and BS5395 Part II to the Building Regulations (England and Wales)


ADF JANUARY 2021 WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK


71


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76