Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Spiral (double helix) stairway in the Vatican Museum
Stairway in Cambodia. Angkor Wat.
Stairway in Cambodia. In Mathematics, a spiral is a Curve which emanates from a central point getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point In Geometry a double helix (plural helices) typically consists of two congruent helices with the same axis differing by a translation The Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani in Viale Vaticano in Rome, inside the Vatican City, are one of the greatest museums in the world since they display works The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat (or Angkor Vat) (អង្គរវត្ត is a Temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for King Suryavarman II
Stairway in Thailand. Original steep stairway modified for the elderly.
Stairway in Thailand. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Original steep stairway modified for the elderly.
A straight stairway with tiled treads, a double railing and two landings.
A straight stairway with tiled treads, a double railing and two landings.

Stairway, staircase, stairwell, flight of stairs or simply stairs are all names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps. A name ( Etymology: from OE nama akin to OHG namo, Latin Nomen, and Greek όνομα ( In Astronomy, Geography, Geometry and related sciences and contexts a direction passing by a given point is said to be vertical if Stairways may be straight, round, or may consist of two or more straight pieces connected at angles.

Special stairways include escalators and ladders. An escalator is a Conveyor transport device for transporting people consisting of individual linked steps that move up or down on tracks which keep the treads A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types rigid ladders that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a Wall, and Alternatives to stairways are elevators, stairlifts and inclined moving sidewalks. An elevator or lift is a Transport device used to move people or goods vertically from one floor to another A stairlift is a mechanical device for lifting people and Wheelchairs up and down Stairs. A moving walkway, moving sidewalk (in the US moving pavement (elsewhere walkalator, travelator, autowalk, horizontal escalator

Contents

Components and terminology

Step

The step is composed of the tread and riser.

The railing system

The 142-metre-long Potemkin Stairs in Odessa (1834-41) was made famous by Sergei Eisenstein in his movie The Battleship Potemkin (1925).
The 142-metre-long Potemkin Stairs in Odessa (1834-41) was made famous by Sergei Eisenstein in his movie The Battleship Potemkin (1925). The Potemkin Stairs (Потьомкінські сходи Pot’omkins’ki Skhоdy, Потёмкинская лестница Potemkinskaya lestnitsa) is a giant ODESSA which stands for the German phrase O rganisation d er e hemaligen SS - A ngehörigen which in turn translates Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (Сергей Михайлович Эйзенштейн January 23, 1898 &ndash February 11, 1948) was The Battleship Potemkin ( Броненосец «Потёмкин», ru '''''Bronyenosyets Potyomkin''''' sometimes rendered as The Battleship
A spiral staircase with ornamental balusters.
A spiral staircase with ornamental balusters.

The balustrade is the complete system of railings and balusters that prevents people from falling over the edge. A baluster (according to OED derived through the French balustre, from Italian balaustro, from balaustra, "pomegranate flower"

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 originally defined from principles set down by architect Peter Nicholson in the 18th century.

Other terminology

Historical photo a of staircase in the Ford plant in Los Angeles with a double bullnose and two volutes. The photo also shows an intermediate landing as part of this U-shaped stair.
Historical photo a of staircase in the Ford plant in Los Angeles with a double bullnose and two volutes. The photo also shows an intermediate landing as part of this U-shaped stair. Many shapes have metaphorical names, ie their names are Metaphors these Shapes are named after a most common object that has it

Measurements

Stair measurements:

Photo of a stairwell in a Russian block of flats
Photo of a stairwell in a Russian block of flats

Ergonomics and Building Code requirements

Stairs of rock placed in a natural passage
Stairs of rock placed in a natural passage
Outdoor stairway on the Alameda Ridge in Portland, Oregon
Outdoor stairway on the Alameda Ridge in Portland, Oregon

Ergonomically and for safety reasons, stairs have to have certain measurements in order for people to comfortably use them. The Alameda Ridge is a large Gravel bar located in Portland, Oregon, United States. Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Ergonomics is the Scientific discipline concerned with Designing according to the human needs and the profession that applies theory principles data and methods Safety is the state of being "safe" (from French sauf) the condition of being protected against physical social spiritual financial political Building codes will typically specify certain measurements so that the stairs are not too steep or narrow. A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as Buildings and Nonbuilding Building codes will specify [2]:

Emperor's Stairs in the Residenz of Munich, Bavaria
Emperor's Stairs in the Residenz of Munich, Bavaria

Jacques Francois Blondel in his 1771 Cours d'architecture [4]was the first known person to establish the ergonomic relationship of tread and riser dimensions[5]. Jacques-François Blondel ( Rouen, January 17, 1705 — January 9 1774) was a French architect He specified that 2 x riser + tread = step length. [6]

It is estimated that a noticeable mis-step once in 7,398 uses and a minor accident on a flight of stairs occurs once in 63,000 uses. [7]

Stairs are not suitable for wheelchairs and other vehicles. A wheelchair is a wheeled Mobility device in which the user sits A stairlift is a mechanical device for lifting wheelchairs up and down stairs. A stairlift is a mechanical device for lifting people and Wheelchairs up and down Stairs. For sufficiently wide stairs, a rail is mounted to the treads of the stairs. A chair or lifting platform is attached to the rail. A person on the chair or platform is lifted as the chair or platform moves along the rail.

Forms

Stairs in the 19th century theatre of Weißenhorn, Germany
Stairs in the 19th century theatre of Weißenhorn, Germany

Stairs can take an infinite number of forms, combining winders and landings.

The simplest form is the straight flight of stairs, without any winders nor landings. It is not often used in modern homes because:

Most modern stairs incorporate at least one landing. "L" shaped stairways have one landing and a change in direction by 90 degrees. "U" shaped stairs may employ a single wider landings for a change in direction of 180 degrees, or 2 landings for two changes in direction of 90 degrees each. Use of landings and a change of direction have the following advantages:

Spiral and helical stairs

External spiral staircase in the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo in Venice
External spiral staircase in the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo in Venice

Spiral stairs wind around a central pole. The Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo (also called Palazzo Contarini Minelli dal Bovolo is a small palace in Venice, best known for the external spiral Staircase Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the In Mathematics, a spiral is a Curve which emanates from a central point getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point They typically have a handrail on the outer side only, and on the inner side just the central pole. A squared spiral stair assumes a square stairwell and expands the steps and railing to a square, resulting in unequal steps (larger where they extend into a corner of the square). A pure spiral assumes a circular stairwell and the steps and handrail are equal and positioned screw-symmetrically. Symmetry generally conveys two primary meanings The first is an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically-pleasing proportionality and balance such that it reflects beauty or A tight spiral stair with a central pole is very space efficient in the use of floor area. A user of these stairs must take care to not step too close to the central pole as it becomes more likely that one or more steps may be missed, especially when going down. One should always take care to continuously use the handrail so that additional support is available in the event that a step is missed. Using the handrail will also direct the user to the safer outer portion of the treads.

The Tulip Stairs & lantern at the Queen's House, Greenwich.
The Tulip Stairs & lantern at the Queen's House, Greenwich. The Queen's House Greenwich, built 1614-1617 was designed by Architect Inigo Jones, early in his architectural career for Anne of Denmark, the queen Greenwich ( ˈɡrɛnɪtʃ GREN-itch /ˈɡrɛnɪdʒ/ GREN-idge or /ˈɡrɪnɪdʒ/ GRIN-idge is a district in south-east London,
A spiral staircase inside Cremona's Torrazzo
A spiral staircase inside Cremona's Torrazzo

Spiral stairs in medieval times were generally made of stone and typically wound in a clockwise direction (from the ascendor's point of view), in order to place at a disadvantage attacking swordsmen who were most often right-handed). Cremonese redirects here For the football team see US Cremonese Cremona is a City in northern Italy, situated The Torrazzo of Cremona ( Lombardy, Italy) is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Cremona. This asymmetry forces the right-handed swordsman to engage the central pike and degrade his mobility compared with the defender who is facing down the stairs. Extant 14th to 17th century examples of these stairways can be seen at Muchalls Castle, Crathes Castle and Myres Castle in Scotland. Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Crathes Castle is a 16th century Castle near Banchory in the Aberdeenshire region of Scotland. Myres Castle is a Scottish castle situated in Fife near the village of Auchtermuchty Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain.

Recent developments in manufacturing and design have led to the introduction of kit form spiral stair. Steps and handrails can be bolted together to form a complete unit. These stairs can be made out of steel, timber, concrete or a combination of materials.

Spiral stairway seen from below; Melk Abbey, Austria
Spiral stairway seen from below; Melk Abbey, Austria
Endless stairway at KPMG, Munich
Endless stairway at KPMG, Munich

Helical or circular stairs do not have a central pole and there is a handrail on both sides. Melk Abbey or Stift Melk is an Austrian Benedictine Abbey, and one of the world's most famous monastic sites These have the advantage of a more uniform tread width when compared to the spiral staircase. Such stairs may also be built around an elliptical or oval planform. A planform or Plan view is a vertical Orthographic projection of an object on a horizontal plane like a Map. A double helix is possible, with two independent helical stairs in the same vertical space, allowing one person to ascend and another to descend, without ever meeting if they choose different helixes (there is one at Château de Chambord). In Geometry a double helix (plural helices) typically consists of two congruent helices with the same axis differing by a translation The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France is one of the most recognizable Châteaux in the world because of its very Fire escapes, though built with landings and straight runs of stairs, are often functionally double helixes, with two separate stairs intertwinned and occupying the same floor space. This is often in support of legal requirements to have two separate fire escapes.

Both spiral and helical stairs can be characterized by the number of turns that are made. A "quarter-turn" stair deposits the person facing 90 degrees from the starting orientation. Likewise there are half-turn, three-quarters-turn and full-turn stairs. A continuous spiral may make many turns depending on the height. Very tall multi turn spiral staircases are usually found in old stone towers within fortifications, churches and in lighthouses. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for A church building is a Building or Structure whose primary purpose is to facilitate the meeting of a church. A lighthouse is a Tower, building or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or in older times from a fire and used as an

Winders may be used in combination with straight stairs to turn the direction of the stairs. This allows for a large number of permutations.

Alternating tread stairs

An alternating tread stair (center) between a half-width stair (left) and full-width stair (right).
An alternating tread stair (center) between a half-width stair (left) and full-width stair (right).
An alternating tread stair climbing the steep slope of a pinnacle in Pinnacles National Monument, California, USA
An alternating tread stair climbing the steep slope of a pinnacle in Pinnacles National Monument, California, USA

Where there is insufficient space for the full run length of normal stairs, alternating tread stairs may be used. Alternating tread stairs allow for safe forward-facing descent of very steep stairs. The treads are designed such that they alternate between treads for each foot: one step is wide on the left side; the next step is wide on the right side. There is insufficient space on the narrow portion of the step for the other foot to stand, hence the person must always use the correct foot on the correct step. The slope of alternating tread stairs can be as high as 65 degrees as opposed to standard stairs which are almost always less than 45 degrees. The advantage of alternating tread stairs is that people can descend face forward. The only other alternative in such short spaces would be a ladder which requires backward-facing descent. Alternating tread stairs may not be safe for small children, the elderly or the physically challenged. CHILD syndrome (or congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects) is a genetic disorder Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the Average life span of Human beings and thus the end of the human life cycle. Building codes typically classify them as ladders and will only allow them where ladders are allowed, usually basement or attic utility or storage areas not frequently accessed. A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types rigid ladders that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a Wall, and

The image on the right illustrates the space efficiency gained by an alternating tread stair. The alternating tread stair appearing on the image's center, with green-colored treads. The alternating stair requires one unit of space per step: the same as the half-width step on its left, and half as much as the full-width stair on its right. Thus, the horizontal distance between steps is in this case reduced by a factor of two reducing the size of each step.

The horizontal distance between steps is reduced by a factor less than 2 if for constructional reasons there are narrow "unused" steps.

There is often (here also) glide plane symmetry: the mirror image with respect to the vertical center plane corresponds to a shift by one step. In Crystallography, a glide plane is symmetry operation describing how a reflection in a plane followed by a translation parallel with that plane may "Mirror Image" is an episode of the Television series The Twilight Zone.

Alternating tread stairs have been in use since at least 1888. [2]

Examples of notable stairways

See also

References

  1. ^ State of California
  2. ^ Moncktons One Plane Method Of Hand Railing and Stair Building, Copyright 1888 by James H. Cable railings or wire rope railings are safety rails that use horizontal or vertical cables in place of Spindles Glass, mesh etc for Infill Monckton, Published by John Wiley & Sons,1891. Plate 2 ,Figure 4

Dictionary

stairway

-noun

  1. a set of steps allowing one to walk up or down comfortably.
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic