STAIR CASE

1. INTRODUCTION
 Access in buildings can be classified into categories:
 Moving

 Stationary

I. Moving
 An elevator, escalator, a staircase or a belt that moves by using different kinds of
electrical or hydraulic driving motors. For example:
• An elevator or lift
• Escalator
• Conveyor
• For the case of handicaps there are moving chairs
II. Stationary
 Most widely used access in buildings. There is no any motor that drive the
system, rather it is fixed.
• Stairs,
• Different kinds of ladders,
• Ramps, Corridors.
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elevator or lift

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Conveyor

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• For the case of handicaps
there are moving chairs Different kinds of ladders

Ramps
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1. INTRODUCTION (CONT…)
 Stairs are set of steps leading from one
floor to another and are provided in
building to afford a means of
communication between the various
floors.
 Steps arranged in series and placed in
an enclosure is called Stair Case.
 Stairs should be designed properly to
provide proper:
 Ventilation
 Light (Natural)
 Location: Near Main Entrance
for Public Buildings and
Centrally for easy access and
privacy in Residential Buildings.

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1. INTRODUCTION (CONT…)
PRIMARY FUNCTION OF
STAIRS
1. Provide a means of
circulation between floor
levels.
2. Establish a safe means of
travel between floor levels.
3. Provide an easy means of
travel between floor levels.
4. Provide a means of
conveying fittings and
furniture between floor levels.

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2. TECHNICAL TERMINOLOGIES
 Step: is a portion of stair which permits ascent or descent.
 It is comprised of a tread and a riser. A stair is composed of a

set of steps.
 Tread: is the horizontal member of stair.
 The tread of public buildings must be wide enough to provide

safe footing.
 Going: is the horizontal distance b/n the nosing or front edges of two
consecutive steps.
 It is usually 30cm for public buildings so that it is wide enough

to provide safe footings.

 Riser: is the vertical member of a stair.
 Rise: Is the vertical distance b/n the upper surface of two
consecutive steps.
 The rise of public building is about 15cm while a higher value

can be used for private buildings.

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2. TECHNICAL TERMINOLOGIES
 Nosing: it is the projecting part of the tread beyond the face of the
riser.
 It is usually rounded off from the architectural point of view.
 Flight: is a continuous set of steps b/n floors and/or landing.
 Landing: is a platform b/n two flights.
 Baluster: is the vertical member which supports the hand rail.
 The combined framework of hand rail and baluster is known as
balustrade.
 String or stringer: is the structural member which supports the
steps and act as inclined beams.
 Hand rail: is a rounded or molded member of wood or metal fixed
on the top of balusters.
 Head room: is the minimum clear vertical distance b/n the tread and
overhead structure.
 Soffit: It is the under side of the stair.

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2. TECHNICAL TERMINOLOGIES
 Run: it is the total length of stairs in a horizontal plane, including
landings.
 Newel post: Is the vertical member which is placed at the ends of
flight to connect the end stings and handrail.
 Winders: are tapering steps which are provided for changing the
direction of stair.

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3. ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF A GOOD STAIR
 Stairs should be designed so as to provide easy, quick and safe mode of
communication b/n the floors. The following are the general requirements
which a stair should fulfill.
A. Location:
i. It should be so located as to provide easy access to the occupants of
the building.
ii. It should be so located that it is well lighted and ventilated directly
from the exterior.
iii. It should be so located as to have approaches convenient and
spacious.
B. Width of stair:
 It should be wide enough to carry the user with out much
crowd or inconvenience.
 Width of stairs depends up to its location in the building and
the type of the building itself.
 If a domestic building, a 90cm wide stair is sufficient while in
public building, 1.5-1.8m width may be required.
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5. ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF A GOOD STAIR
C. Length of flight:
 From comfort point of view, the number of steps are not more than
12 and not less than 3.
D. Pitch of stair:
 Its ascent should be relatively easy.
 Stairs for public building should have a pitch of 38° and for private
buildings the pitch should not be more than 42°.

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5. ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF A GOOD STAIR
E. Head room:
 The clear distance b/n the tread and soffit of the flight
immediately above it should not be less than 2.1-2.3m
F. Balustrad:
 Open well stairs should always be provided with balustrade, to
provide safety to the users.
 Wider stairs should have hand rail to both the sides.

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5. ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF A GOOD STAIR
G. Step dimensions:
 The rise and going should be of such dimension as to provide
comfort to the users.
 Their proportion should also be such as to provide desirable pitch
of the stair.
 The going should not be less than 25cm, though the 30cm is quite
comfortable.
 The rise should be b/n 10cm (for hospitals, etc) to 15cm.
 The width of landing should not be less than the width of a stair.
• Rise + Tread ≥ 40 and ≤ 45cm
• 2Rise + Tread ≥ 58 and ≤ 63cm
• Rise x Tread ≥ 400 and ≤ 500cm2

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5. ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF A GOOD STAIR

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5. ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF A GOOD STAIR

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4. CLASSIFICATION OF STAIRS
 Stairs can be classified into two broad heads:

STAIRS

STRAIGHT STAIRS TURNING STAIRS  Each of the turning stairs are

of the three types:
QUARTER TURN  Newel stairs
STAIR
 Well or open-newel

stairs, and
HALF TURN STAIR
 Geometrical stairs

THREE – QUARTER
TURN STAIRS

BIFURCATIN
G STAIRS

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3. CLASSIFICATION OF STAIRS
1. Straight stairs: this stairs runs
straight b/n the two floors.
 It is used for small houses where
there are restrictions in available
width.
 The stair may consist of either
one single flight or more than one
flight (usually two) with a
landing.

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3. CLASSIFICATION OF STAIRS
Straight stairs

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3. CLASSIFICATION OF STAIRS
2. Quarter turn stairs: is the one which
changes through right angle(90ᵒ), its
direction either to the left or to the right.
 The turn being affected either by

introducing a quarter space landing

or by providing winders.
 Quarter turn stairs are of two types:

A. Newel quarter turn stairs

B. Geometrical quarter turn stairs.
A. Newel quarter turn stairs
 These stairs have the conspicuous newel
posts at the beginning and end of each flight.
 At the quarter turn, there may either be
quarter space landing or there may be
winders.

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21
3. CLASSIFICATION OF STAIRS
B. Geometrical quarter turn stairs
 The stringer as well as the hand rail is continuous, with no newel post at
the landing.

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 3. CLASSIFICATION OF STAIRS
3. Half turn stairs: is the one which has its
direction reversed or changed for 180°.
 Such stairs are quite common.

 Half turn stairs are of three types:

A. Dog-legged or newel half turn stairs.

B. Open newel half turn stairs.
C. Geometrical half turn stairs.
A. Dog-legged stairs
 The name is given because of its appearance in
sectional elevation.
 It comes under the category of newel stairs in
which newel posts are provided at the beginning
and end of each flight.
 These may be of two types:
 With half space landing

 With quarter space landing and winders

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3. CLASSIFICATION OF STAIRS
B. Open newel half turn stair
 Has a space or well between the outer strings. This is the only aspect in
which it differs from the dog legged stairs.
 Additional width is required b/n the two flights. When the space
provided is more, a small flight containing two to four steps may be
introduced.

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3. CLASSIFICATION OF STAIRS
B. Open newel half turn stair

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3. CLASSIFICATION OF STAIRS
C. Geometrical half turn stairs
 The essential feature of such stairs are that the stringers and the hand
rails are continuous, without any intervening newel post.
 This may be either with half-space landing or without.

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 3. CLASSIFICATION OF STAIRS
4. Three quarter turn stairs: has its direction
changed three times with its upper flight
crossing the bottom one.
 It may either be newel type or open

newel type
 Such type of stair is used when the

length of the stair room is limited and

when the vertical distance b/n the two
floors is quite large .
5. Bifurcated stairs: The stair has a wider
flight at the bottom, which bifurcates into
two narrow flights one turning to the left and
the other to the right, at the landing.
 It may be either of newel type with a

newel post or of geometrical type

 This type of stair is commonly used in

public buildings at their entrance hall.

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 3. CLASSIFICATION OF STAIRS
6. Continuous stairs: Type of stairs which do
neither have any landing nor any intermediate
newel post.
 They are geometrical in shape.

 Continuous stairs may be of three types:

 Circular stairs,
 Spiral stairs, and
 Helical stairs.
A. Circular stairs:
 Has circular plan configuration.

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3. CLASSIFICATION OF STAIRS
B. Spiral stairs:
 They are usually made either of
R.C.C. or metal.
 They are employed at a location
where there are space limitations.
 They are also used as emergency
stairs and are provided at the
back side of the building.
 All the steps are winders.
Therefore they are not
comfortable.

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3. CLASSIFICATION OF STAIRS
C. Helical stairs:
 Looks very fine but its
structural design and
construction is very
complicated.
 It is made of R.C.C. in
which a large portion of
steel is required to resist
bending, shear and torsion.

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4. STAIRS OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS
 The selection of materials for the construction of stairs depend up on
 The availability of materials and ease of transportation
 Funds

 Desired life of building

 Aesthetical importance

 Freedom of design

 Expected fire resisting quality

 Thus, stairs may be made either of timber, bricks, stones, mild steel.
Wrought iron, or plain and reinforced concrete.
Timber stairs
Concrete stairs
Pre-cast Concrete stairs
Metal stairs
Stone stairs
Brick stairs
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6. LADDERS
 Ladders are used primarily in industrial construction and in utility and
service areas.

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6. RAMPS
 Ramps shall be provided to allow wheel chair access and luggage path
in hotels, for stretchers in hospitals for loading and unloading in
warehouses and factories.

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7. ELEVATORS
 Elevators travel vertically to carry passengers, equipments and freight
from one level of the building to another.
 The two most common types are electric and hydraulic elevator.
Electric elevator:
 Consist of a car that is mounted on guide rails supported by hoisting
cables, and driven by electric hoisting machinery in a pent house.
Hydraulic elevator:
 Consist of a car supported by a piston that is moved by or moves
against a fluid under pressure.
 The type, size, number, speed and arrangement of elevators are
determined by:
 Type of occupancy
 Amount and tempo of traffic to be carried
 Total vertical distance of travel
 Round-trip time and speed desired.

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7. ELEVATORS

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8. ESCALATORS
 Escalators are power driven stairways consisting of steps attached to
continuously circulating belt.
 They can move a large number of people efficiently and comfortably
b/n a limited number of floors, six floors are a practicably limit.
 Since escalator move at a constant speed, there is a practically no
waiting period, but there should be adequate queuing space at each
loading and discharge.
 The pitch varies b/n 30-35°.
 Escalators are usually used in public areas like airport, shopping
malls, etc.
 Escalators are typically used in pairs with one going up and other
going down.

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