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Once referred to as “sculpture’s gift to architecture” by dRMM co-founder Alex de Rijke, staircases are often become the centerpiece to a home or public space.
As architects begin to push design boundaries and test the limits of building regulations, staircases are becoming more extreme. An influx of innovative designs – from “floating” cantilevered treads to whiplash-inducing spiral structures – means functionality is taking a step back.
Some of the most terrifying examples can be found in Japan, where relaxed building regulations mean that open-sided staircases are more common. For Park House in Tokyo, Japanese studio Another Apartment connected two floors with wooden treads designed to look like thin plates emerging from the wall. A single slender handrail is attached to the wall for balance.
Some architects prefer to exaggerate the shape of a typical spiral staircase. Casa Gago by Pezo von Ellrichshausen features a tightly-wound helix-shaped structure that serves to connect all 12 platforms inside the split-level Chilean house. Made from raw concrete, the staircase winds its way through a narrow central void.
A vibrant shade of blue was used to create a statement staircase inside the minimal home of London fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic. Conceived to look like a sculpture in a gallery, the staircase was enclosed in a blue steel fin-like structure.
The more unusual examples don’t resemble staircases at all. Tiptoeing the line between architecture and art, Francesco Librizzi’s blocky structure for a Sicilian residence is formed of wooden boxes and platforms supported by a black metal framework.
But artistic staircases aren’t just for private residences – Ribbon Chapel by Hiroshi Nakamura is a wedding venue that gets its name from the two curving staircases that encircle its glazed core. The two pathways meet at a rooftop platform overlooking the Hiroshima coastline.
And visitors to the Thai coastal resort Bang Saen Beach are invited to get lost inside a labyrinthine staircase designed by Supermachine Studio. This concrete tower is formed of chunky interconnecting staircases, concealing plenty of nooks for children to play hide and seek.
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