STAIRS

 A stair is a set of steps leading from one floor to the other. It is provided
to afford the means of ascent and descent between various floors of the
building.
 The room or enclosure of the building, in which the stair is located, is
known as staircase.
 The opening or space occupied by the stair is known as a stairway. In a
domestic building the stairs should be centrally located to provide easy
access to all rooms.
 In public buildings, stairs should be located near the entrance. Stairs may
be constructed by timber, bricks and stone, steel or reinforced cement
concrete..
Location of Stairs

a) It should be so located as to provide easy access to the occupants of the

building.

b) It should be so located that it is well lighted and ventilated directly from the
exterior.

c) It should be so located as to have approaches convenient and spacious.

d) It public building it should be located near main entrance and in residential

building it should be placed centrally.

Primary functions

1) Provide a means of circulation between floor levels.

2) Establish a safe means and travel between floor levels.

3) Provide an easy means of travel between floor levels.

4) Provide means of conveying fittings and furniture between floor levels.

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 Building Code Requirements

1) Stairs should be constructed to have a constant and uniform rises and

treads in a flight of stairs.

2) Risers measured vertically from top of tread should not be less than 188
mm and not more than 220 mm.

3) Treads measured horizontally from faces of two consecutive risers shall not
be less than 220 mm.

4) Vertical balusters on stair and balconies shall not be spaced more than 125
mm apart.

5) No protective balustrade shall be less than 825 mm in vertical height above

the line of nosing or less than 900 mm in height above landings and a
maximum height of 1000 mm.

6) Recommended floor to floor height minimum 2600 mm.

7) Minimum headroom should not be less than 2000 mm.

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 Requirements of a good stair

 A good well planned stair should have the following characteristics:

1) It should be easily approachable from all the rooms of the building.

2) Rise of step should be easy. it should be neither too small nor too large.

3) Steps should be sufficiently wide.

4) Width of the stair should be sufficient to handle the expected traffic.

5) It should be strong, durable and stiff.

 To construct a stair that is convenient to ascend or descend as stipulated by

Kenya building code, the going should bear a certain ratio to the rise.

 This ratio is obtained by applying the formula:

The sum of going and twice rise should be between 550 and 700 mm

Going + 2 Rise = (550 to 700 mm)

Technical Terms
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 1) Baluster
 It is vertical member of wood or metal supporting the handrail.
2) Handrail
 The inclined rail over the string is known as a handrail. It is the surrounded
or moulded member of wood or metal following generally the contour of
the nosing line, and fixed on the top of balusters.
3) Newel post
 This is the vertical member which is placed at the ends of flights to connect
handrail. Newel post is a vertical member which is placed at the ends of
flights to connect the ends of strings and hand rail.
4) Soffit
 It is the underside of a stair.
5) Waist
 The thickness of structural slab in case of an R.C.C. stair is known as a
waist.

6) Nosing
 It is the projecting part of the tread beyond the face of the riser. It is
rounded to give good architectural effect.
7) Scotia
 It is a moulding provided under the nosing to improve the elevation of the
step.
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 8) Step

 It is a portion of stair which permits ascent and descent. It is comprised of a

tread and riser.

9) Tread

 It is the upper horizontal portion of a step upon which the feet is placed
while ascending or descending.

10) Rise

 It is the vertical distance between two successive tread faces.

11) Going

 It is the horizontal distance between two successive riser faces.

12) Flight

 A series of steps without any platform, break or landing in their direction.

This is defined as an unbroken series of steps between landings.
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 13) Landing

 It is the level platform at the top or bottom of a flight between the floors. A
landing facilitates change of direction and provides an opportunity for
taking rest during the use of the stair.

14) Run

 It is the total length of stairs in a horizontal plane, including landings.

15) Headroom

 It is the minimum clear vertical distance between the tread and ceiling.

16) Pitch or Slope

 It is the angle which the line of nosing of the stair makes with the
horizontal.

17) Riser

 The vertical portion between each treads on the stair. It is the vertical

portion of a step providing a support to the tread.

18) Line of nosing

 It is an imaginary line touching of each tread and is parallel to the slope of

the stair.

19) Winders

 These are tapering steps which are provided for changing the direction of a
stair.

20) Strings or stringers

 These are the sloping wooden members which support the steps in a stair.
They run along the slope of the stair.
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  There are two types of string :
i) a cut or open string
ii) a closed or housed string
 In the cut or open string, the upper edge is cut away to receive the ends of
steps.
 In the closed or housed string, the ends of steps are housed between
straight parallel edges of the string.

21) Balustrade or Barrister

 The combined framework of handrail and balusters is known as the

balustrade or barrister.

22) Walking line

 The approximate line of movement of people on a stair during ascending or

descending is known as a walking line and it is situated at a distance of
about 450 mm from the centre of handrail.
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 Types Of Steps
 Steps in a stair may be of following types :
i) Bull nose step
ii) Round ended step
iii) Filer
iv) Splayed step Commode step
v) Dancing step or Balancing step
vi) Splayed step
vii)Winder
1) Bull nose step
 It is generally provided at the bottom of the flight , projecting in front of the
newel post. Its end near the newel forms the quadrant of a circle.
2) Round ended step
 A round ended step is similar to a bull nose step except that it has a semi–
circular end which projects out from the stringer.
3) Filer
 A filer is an ordinary step of uniform width and rectangular shape in plan.
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 4) Commode step
 A commode step has curved tread and riser.

5) Dancing steps or Balancing step

 Dancing steps are the winders which do not radiate from a common centre.

Types of Stairs

a) Single flight straight stairs

b) Double flight straight stairs

c) Quarter turn newel

d) Half turn newel

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 e) Open well stairs

f) Dog legged stairs

g) Bifurcated stairs

h) Circular stairs

i) Spiral stairs

j) Geometrical stairs

1) Single flight straight stairs

 These are the stairs along which there is no change in direction on any
flight.

 They are used when space available for staircase is long but narrow in
width. All steps lead in one direction.
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 2) Double flight straight stairs
 Here the stairs possesses two landings while running straight in the
complete flight.

Straight-stairs-with-intermediate-landing

3) Quarter turn newel

 In quarter turn newel the stairs run straight in a flight and after reaching
the landing the stairs it turns to either left or right at ninety degree and
its runs again till it reaches the consecutive horizontal level.
 A stair turning through one right angle is known as Quarter turn stairs.
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(L-shaped stair)
  If a quarter turn stair is branched into two flights at a landing is known as a
Bifurcated stair.

 The change in direction can be affected by either introducing a landing or

by providing winders.
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 4) Half turn stairs
 Half turn stairs are the stairs in which the user climbs up to a flight turns at
one eighty degree and then climb stairs in opposite direction

 A half turn star may be of dog-legged type or open newel type.

5) Open newel stairs

 In case of open newel stair, there is a well or hole or opening between
flights in plan.
 This well may be rectangular or of any geometrical shape and it can be used
for fixing lift.
 These staircases are useful where available space for staircase has a width
greater than twice the width of steps.
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 6) Dog legged stairs
 Dog legged stairs are the stairs in which the user climbs up to a flight turns
at one eighty degree and then climb stairs in opposite direction

 In case of dog-legged stair, the flights run in opposite directions and there is
no space between them in plan.

 This stairs are useful where total width of space available for the staircase
is equal to twice the width of steps.

 It consists of two straight flights of steps with abrupt turn between them. A
level landing is placed across the two flights at the change of direction.
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 7) Three quarter turn Stair

 A stair turning through three right angles is known as a three quarter stair.

 In this case, an open well is formed. This type of stair is used when the
length of the staircase is limited and when the vertical distance between
the two floors is quite large.

 A stair turning through three right angles (270 degree) is known as three
quarter turn stair. In this case an open well is formed
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 8) Bifurcated stairs
 In bifurcated stairs the stairs runs at a flight an as it reaches the landing the
stairs runs from left and right side reaching the same horizontal level.

 These stairs are so arranged that there is a wide flight at the start which is
further sub-divided into two narrow flights at the mid-landing.

 The two narrow flight starts from either side of the mid-landing.

9) Circular stairs
 The stairs made in a circular form are known as the circular staircase.

 The steps radiate from the center and they do not have either any landing
or any intermediate newel post.

 Some of the important facts to be noted in connection with the circular

stairs are:

1. Flights consist of winders only and may be continued through any number
of turns.

2. May be constructed of a cast iron or mild steel or concrete. Usually its

structural design and construction of are complicated in nature.
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 3. For concrete spiral stairs, the steel reinforcement is heavy and formwork is
complicated. These make the concrete spiral stairs expensive.

4. The core of spiral stair may be solid or hollow and the stair may be
provided with cut or closed strings.

5. The spiral stairs are useful where the space available is limited and where
the traffic is less. E.g., shops

10) Spiral stairs

 Those stairs which are in spiral form is known as spiral staircase.

 When viewed from top it appears to follow a circle with a single centre of
curvature.
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 The spiral stairs are provided where space available is limited and traffic is
low.
  These stairs can be constructed in R.C.C., Steel or Stone.

Tapered Steps/Winders
 These are tapering steps which are provided for changing the direction of a
stair.
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  Prior to the introduction of the building regulations tapered steps or
winders werefrequently used by the designers to use space economically
since three treads occupied.the area required for the conventional quarter
space landing which is counted as one tread.

 These steps had the following disadvantages:

a) Hazard to the aged and very young because of the very small tread length
at or near the newel post.

b) Difficult to carpet, requiring many folds or wasteful cutting.

c) Difficult to negotiate with furnituredue to a rapid rise on the turn.

d) Have little or no aesthetic appeal .

e) Are expensive to construct.

 With the introduction of the building regulation special attention have been
givento the inclusion of tappered steps in approved document K which
makes the use of tappered steps less of an economic proposition and more
dfficult to design.

11) Geometrical Stairs

 Continuous stairs that turn or wind about a central well hole which has
rounded corners or is circular or elliptical and that have the strings and rails
arranged upon geometric principles and running continuously from top to
bottom.”

 These stairs have no newel post and are of any geometrical shape.

 The change in direction is achieved through winders.

 The stairs require more skill for its construction and are weaker than open
newel stair.
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 12) Open Tread Stairs

 These are a contemporary form of stair used in homes, shops and offices
based on the simple form of access stair which has been used for many
years in industrial premises.

 The concept is simplicity with the elimination of elaborate nosings,

cappings and risers.the open tread or riserless stair must fully comply with
part K which reccommends a minimum tread overlap of 15 mm.

 Three basic types of open tread stairs are:

i. Closed string

ii. Cut string or carriages

iii. Mono-carriages
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 a) Closed String

 The treads are housed tightly into the strings which are tied together with
long steel tie bars under the first , last and every fourthtread.

 The nuts and washers can be housed into the strings and covered with
timber inserts.
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 b) Cut String or Carriages

 These are used to support cantilever treads and can be worked from the
solid or of laminated construction.

 The upper end of the carriage can be housed into the stairwell trimming
member with possibleadditional support from metal brackets.

 The foot of the carriage is housed in a purpose made metal shoe or fixed
with metal angle bracket.
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 c) Mono-carriages

 Sometimes called a spine beam,embloys a single central carriage with

double cantilever treads.

 The carriage, which is by necessity large, is of laminated construction and

very often of a tapered section to reduce the apparent bulky appearance.

 The foot of the carriage is secured with a purpose made metal shoe in
conjunction with timber connections.
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