72 INTERIORS
© Tom Biddle Photography
VERSATILITY Bespoke staircases, balconies and railings can be manufactured for projects of all sizes
Virtually every element of a staircase can be adapted to achieve your desired look and feel
and Technical Handbook 4 (Scotland). If you are looking for escape staircases, additional guidance can also be found in Approved Document B and Technical Handbook 2 if in Scotland.
‘Rise’ & ‘going’
Setting the pitch of the staircase is a balancing act. Staircases with steeper pitches have a more compact footprint but are also more challenging to climb, making them less suitable for families with young children or for older users.
The angle is set primarily using the ‘rise’ (the height from the top of one tread to the top of the next) and the ‘going’ (depth of the tread minus any overlap with the nosing of the next tread). Again, minimum requirements are set within the guidance to the Building Regulations and Standards. In general, it is recommended that to achieve a comfortable step size, the total measurement of twice the rise plus the going (2R + G) should be between 550 mm and 700 mm and maintain a pitch of below 42°. Once set, the rise and going measurements must be the same along the full length of the staircase.
Railing height & gaps
The baluster/railing needs to be sufficiently high to provide owners with the right level of safety. It is generally recommended a height of at least 900 mm to ensure compliance with the Building Regulations, although 1000 mm may be preferred for taller homeowners or public spaces.
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
In addition, there can be no gaps large enough to allow a 100 mm sphere to pass through on any part of the staircase including the baluster. This means riser bars need to be fitted across open risers and may also prevent recreation of some period designs, for example, where only one spindle may have been used per tread.
A step ahead
Bespoke staircase manufacturers can work with you to refine these key characteristics of the staircase along with the choice of materials, finishes and finer design points. In practice, virtually every element of a staircase can be adapted to achieve your desired look and feel, from the profile of the tread noses, to the design of spindles. Experienced manufacturers should be able to walk you through the options, for example, discussing the use of open risers or perforated treads to improve light transmission, or how materials such as cast aluminium can provide a lighter alternative to traditional materials such as cast iron – reducing structural requirements. In addition to traditional drawings, some manufacturers can now provide bespoke 3D CAD services, allowing you to visualise the staircase and make any final adjustments before it is manufactured. The result should be a staircase which fits accurately within the space, and delivers on your design vision.
Antonia Harding is commercial director at British Spirals & Castings
ADF JANUARY 2021
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
