Stairs
Stairs
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Written by Jimmy John   
Thursday, 04 September 2008
    A Stairway is one of main structures in the house and is used and touched everyday. Besides the importance of using the best materials for the safety of those who use it, the stairway is also one of main ways to make the house more attractive. In addition there are those who pay attention to Feng Shui principles, believed by Chinese to be significant.
    There are bylaws regulating the dimension of stairways; such as the riser, tread, width, and height of each section, in order to prevent any accidents. However, those dimensions are minimum values. If we have enough space and want those who use it to do so conveniently the depth of each tread should be wide enough to place the whole of the sole of your foot on it and the height of each riser should be around 16.5-18 cm. And each step should be spaced equally as people naturally take each step equally. If the distance is unequal or different, users may miss their step and fall down the stairs.
    Exterior stairs should be made from material that is not slippery, and each step should have a leading edge that is non-slip and easily noticeable in order to warn users of the change of level so they take more care. Also, both internal and external staircases should be well lit because the ceiling of a stairwell is always higher than usual. The positioning of the lights in the design has to bear in mind the ease with which old light bulbs can be replaced.
    The stair railings should be built to a suitable height. If it is too low it those who use it feel insecure. It should normally be 90 cm. high at the middle of the tread of the stairs. If we have children in the house, the staircase rail should not be built with wide gaps that they can slip through. If you want gaps you can attach safety glass to the railings or add sling wires and the railings should be strong and stable because, children often play imaginatively on the stairs as if it were a kind of toy. So, we may need to design stairs with this in mind.
Last Updated ( Friday, 05 September 2008 )