Code says stairs are for fire escape. Architects know stairs are the only place where you experience a building in 3D, moving up, seeing different angles, pausing, meeting.
A stair designed only to code is 1.2m wide, U-shaped, with closed walls and cheap tiles. People hate it and only use it in emergency. A stair designed as experience is open, has natural light, has a landing that is a balcony, has views, has a place to sit. People choose to use it even with elevator available.
Frederick says: The stair is the most theatrical space in a building. Every step changes your eye level by 17cm, so your view changes every second. Good stairs choreograph that view.
Look at Apple Stores: Glass stairs are the main attraction, not the products. Look at Grand Egyptian Museum: Grand Staircase is the museum itself, with statues along the way. The destination is the journey.
Technical office rules for good stairs: 1- Never make riser above 17cm. 2- Tread at least 28cm. 3- Landing at least as wide as flight. 4- Light from above or side, never dark. 5- Handrail continuous and touchable, not sharp metal. 6- One material from bottom to top to create flow.
Most Egyptian execution fails at stair: Different tile colors per floor, broken handrail, dark shaft. That stair becomes scary.
For your content: Show 3 stair sections - Bad (closed, dark), Good (open, light), Great (with experience). This post gets saved a lot because every architect has a stair problem in current project.
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