Stairs serve to provide communication between rooms located at different levels (floors), as well as for emergency evacuation of people, property, equipment from buildings and to facilitate the work of fire brigades.
Also, all stairs must meet certain regulatory requirements, among which the most significant are the following:
The width of the flight of stairs for main stairs should not be less than 0.8-1.0 meters;
Stairs should be well lit, especially the first and last steps;
All stairs with more than three steps must be equipped with strong and reliable railings, the height of which must be at least 90 cm;
The height of the step (riser) should not be more than 20 cm, and the width of the step (tread) should not be less than 25-30 cm;
The slope of the stairs should not exceed 38° for residential premises. For single-family houses, a slope of up to 45° is allowed. U attic stairs The tilt angle can be within 63°-74°. The slope of one flight of stairs along its entire length must be constant;
The distance between the flight of stairs and the wall" or between the landing and the wall should not exceed 5-6 cm;
When constructing buildings with two or more floors, the main staircases connecting the floors must have one common span, which is directly connected to the staircase leading to the attic;
In buildings with more than 2 floors, stairs must be made of non-combustible materials.
The main types of stairs consist of flights and platforms.
March- this is the inclined part of the stairs, along which the ascent or descent to certain levels of a building or structure is carried out. Dividing structural elements between the flights there are landings, located horizontally at the beginning or end of the flight and serving for entering and exiting the flight. Landings located at the floor level are called storey landings, and those located between floors are called intermediate, or interfloor.
Stairwells, i.e. the staircase itself with adjacent enclosing or load-bearing walls is usually arranged in multi-storey buildings, where they serve not only for lifting to floors or levels, but also for the safe evacuation of people in case of fire or other critical situations. In individual residential buildings It is also possible to install staircases, but usually, for reasons of convenience and economy, stairs in such houses are built within the residential premises.
Intermediate landings are necessary for the convenience of walking on stairs with a large number of steps (more than 15-18) and especially for the convenience of walking along turning stairs, in which intermediate landings are located at turning points.
Flight of stairs in assembled form consists of steps and inclined beams supporting them. Beams that support steps only from below are called stringers, and supporting steps at the same time from below and from the ends - bowstrings. If the steps rest on three stringers, then the middle one is called intermediate.
IN general view stairs can be classified as follows:
By functionality - house, landscape and special;
By purpose - interfloor, entrance, work, walk-through;
By relative position - internal and external;
According to the method of functioning - stationary, transformable and portable;
By design - with risers, without risers, with bowstrings or on stringers, screw (with or without a central post), with cantilever steps, suspended steps, retractable steps, winder steps, etc.; - according to the material of supporting structures - wooden, steel, stone, reinforced concrete, concrete, combined;
In form - straight, including single-flight and multi-flight; broken (with a turn of marches), including swinging ones and with winder steps; one marching stairs with a 180° rotation or one or two 90° rotations; curvilinear, consisting of only winder steps; screw with a center line in the form of a circle and a round span; screw with a central post that carries the entire load; double-flight curved with an intermediate platform;
According to complexity - small-element and large-element, fully prefabricated.
a, b - two-flight; c - the same, with intersecting marches; g - the same, with a ceremonial middle march; d - three-march; e - four-march; g - screw; z - single-flight intra-apartment; and, k - internal with winder steps
Figure 7.1. Types of stairs:
The steps are divided into ordinary and frieze, adjacent to the landings.
The horizontal plane of the steps is called the tread, and the vertical plane is called the riser. The height of the steps (h) is 135-200 mm, the width (b) is at least 250 mm. Their ratio determines the slope of the march (h + b).
The dimensions of the steps are determined from the average step of a person when walking horizontally (600 mm): 2h + b = 570-640 mm. This condition corresponds to the standard slopes of stairs: 1:2; 1:1.5; 1:1.75 and 1:1.25. The main stairs have a slope of 1:2 with steps of 150x300 mm.
The number of steps (ascents) in one flight between platforms should be from 3 to 16 pieces, and in single-flight ones - up to 18 pieces. "
The width of the march must ensure the design capacity during the evacuation of people. For residential buildings, the width of the flight is taken according to the table. 4.2, but not less than 1.05 m for main stairs.
Flights of stairs and landings must have a fence with handrails at least 1.2 m high.
Width landings in residential buildings, no less than the width of the flights should be taken and no less than 1.2 m at the entrances to apartments and no less than 1.6 m in front of the entrances to the elevators. Gap between marches 1 g must be at least 0.1 m.
In the above-ground floors of public buildings, the slope of the marches should be no more than 1: 2 (except for the stairs of the stands of sports facilities). The slope of marches leading to the basement and ground floors, to the attic, as well as stairs in above-ground floors not intended for the evacuation of people, is allowed to be 1: 1.5.
Width of flight of stairs in public buildings must be no less than the width of the exit to the staircase from the most populated floor, but not less than:
1.3.5 m - for buildings with more than 200 people on the most populated floor, as well as for the premises of clubs, cinemas and medical institutions, regardless of the cleanliness of the places;
1.2 m - for other buildings, as well as for premises of cinemas, clubs leading to auxiliary and service premises not associated with the presence of spectators and visitors in them, and for premises of medical institutions not intended for stay or visiting the sick;
0.9 m - for all rooms with up to 5 people simultaneously staying in it.
The intermediate platform in a straight flight of stairs must be at least 1 m wide. The width of the landings should not be less than the width of the flight.
The width of the flight of stairs in industrial buildings should be taken not less than the calculated width of the emergency exit (door) from the floor with the widest door to the staircase, but not less than 1 m.
In order to determine the dimensions of the stairs and staircase, you need to know the height of the floor, choose a staircase scheme (two-flight or three-flight), its slope and the size of the steps.
IN low-rise construction main and internal staircases are usually made of wood. Wooden stairs installed on bowstrings and stringers. Bowstrings can be mortise (treads and risers are inserted into slots 15-25 mm deep) and with grooves on which the treads rest and the risers are nailed. When constructing stairs on stringers, the treads are placed on the cutouts in the stringers, extending them beyond the outer edge of the stringer by 20-50 mm for better appearance. The fencing is also made of wood.
Figure 7.3 - Wooden staircase structures
In interior staircases it is allowed to use winder steps And spiral staircases. By fire safety standards such stairs cannot serve as escape routes and therefore are not used as main ones. When assigning the dimensions of wedge-shaped winder steps and steps of spiral staircases, their calculated values are taken in the middle of the flight. Spiral staircases can be made of wood, metal, prefabricated and monolithic reinforced concrete. The steps rest on the walls and on the central support pillar.
Stairs made of small-sized elements.
They consist of individual prefabricated steps (Figure 7.2) laid on cement mortar on prefabricated stringers. The stringers are inserted into special nests of the platform beams under the stringers. Prefabricated platform slabs also rest on these same beams. The beams themselves rest on the longitudinal walls staircase. The steps come from the factory with a textured surface. When there are no standard dimensions of staircases (usually during the reconstruction of buildings), stairs on metal stringers are used. In this case, the stringers are plastered over a mesh to give them the required fire resistance rating.
1 - staircase wall; 2 - lower frieze stage; 3 - ordinary stage; 4 - fence post; 5 - upper frieze step; 6 - embedded part; 7 - metal stringer; 8 - metal platform beam; 9 - platform reinforced concrete slab; 10 - platform reinforced concrete beam; 11- reinforced concrete stringer A And 6 - on metal and prefabricated reinforced concrete stringers; V- types of steps for different slopes;
Figure 7.4 - Small block stairs:
Stairs made from large-sized elements are designed in two design options: a staircase made from prefabricated flights and landings (Figure 7.5) and a staircase made from flights with two half-landings (Figure 7.6).
A G d - with a T-shaped march; e
A- with a stringless march; b. c - with U-shaped marches; G- the same, with overhead treads; d - with a T-shaped march; e- riser size for different heights floors
Figure 7.5 - Large-block stairs from prefabricated flights and platforms:
Figure 7.6 - Large-block staircases made of flights with half-landings:
A - staircase plan in frame building; b- types of staircases for different floor heights; V- option for supporting a flight of stairs in a large-panel frameless building; 1 - brick walls of the staircase; 2 - Wall panel; 3 - crossbar with one shelf (PO brand); 4 - the same, with two (RD brands); 5 - half landing of a flight of stairs; 6 - embedment concrete
A staircase is an integral part of an interior consisting of two or more levels. This architectural detail has its own history of thousands of years.The ancient Greeks and Romans created a whole cult of stairs, in The Middle Ages treated them as consumer goods, during the Baroque period they made them a luxury, and the architects of the era of Queen Victoria made stairs as comfortable as possible.
Modern technologies and materials made it possible to radically change appearance staircase structures, turning them into an architectural element worthy of admiration.
You a private house in the process of construction or redevelopment?
Most likely, it will not be you who will carry out the staircase construction, but “specially trained people” :) However, when designing a house, it is important to know the configuration and dimensions of the opening of the interfloor ceiling and the staircase itself.
That is why every self-respecting private developer should familiarize himself with the basic formula for calculating the size of stairs and all possible options their configurations.
In order not to get confused in terms, I suggest you remember the names of the structural parts of the staircase structure.Stringers- These are inclined beams on which steps are attached. There can be two on the sides or one in the center. Made from wood, reinforced concrete, metal.
Flight of stairs- this is a series of steps fastened with a string (string), from the beginning of the ascent to the horizontal platform and from it to the end of the ascent.
Horizontal platforms the flight of stairs is divided at turning points or if the rise is too high (rest area).
Railing- staircase fencing for safety purposes (done outside) or convenience (attached to the wall).
And now we can move on to the consideration and discussion of specific staircase structures.
TYPES OF STAIRS BY DESIGN
STRAIGHT (with rotation) - the most common and simplest designs.
Uncomplicated and functional options made of wood are available for DIY execution, provided that you have great experience woodworking specialist welding work or the design is really simple.
Do you think that calculating a staircase structure is too difficult? Then take a look at the photo on the left.
Yes, it is important to choose a minimum tread (step depth) of 23 cm and above and a maximum height (up to 17 cm). But making such a staircase is quite easy.
The whole “salt” lies in the way the steps are attached: on one side to the wall, on the other to a solid wooden stringer, and all with the help of a metal corner.
Steps should be purchased from laminated wood, because it is this material that retains its strength and shape for a long time.
CURVED (curvilinear) stairs are spectacular, but require more careful calculation and skill of the performer
Curved structures made of reinforced concrete are more available. Again, it is impossible for a beginner to complete them on his own.
But you can bend wood only if you have the appropriate equipment.
So this type stairs can be safely called a luxury item.
SPIRAL staircases - occupy a minimum of space, but are not comfortable for everyone. And when climbing to a great height (with a ceiling height of more than 280 cm), you may feel dizzy :)
The design feature of any spiral staircase is simple: on one side the step is “strung” on a rod, on the other it is either attached to a curved stringer or connected to the upper and lower posts (link).
If you have skills in working with metal and wood, a love of precision and accuracy, you can design and build a spiral staircase yourself.
In addition to the well-known parameters (step height no more than 17, tread depth no less than 23), it is important to know that the width of the flight of stairs of a spiral staircase should not be less than 80 cm. The presence of handrails is mandatory.
LINK – self-supporting structures, providing visual lightness of the staircase in the interior.
They were built according to all the laws of physics regarding the application of forces :)
At first glance, such a staircase seems unreliable, but once you climb it, you will be convinced of the strength of the structure.
Designs made from links are convenient in that they do not visually clutter up the space with heavy stringers.
The configuration of the staircase depends on the location of the link connections: on both sides of the step - for straight stairs, in the center - for curved ones, on one edge - for screw ones.
BUTTERFLY ( duck step) – steps are adapted for the right or left legs alternately, very compact, but not convenient for everyone.
Its main advantage is the possibility of steep descent and ascent while complying with ergonomic requirements
Most often it is used in small-sized country houses and for access to the attic.
CONSOLE stairs are an ultra-modern solution. These are steps that are attached to the wall with one edge, and the other simply hangs in the air. These designs are often complemented with tempered glass railings to ensure safe movement between floors while maintaining the illusion of a staircase floating in the air.
Cantilever structures are very reliable because each step is mounted on a strong metal frame, which is in turn hung on the wall. Subsequently, the fasteners are disguised as cladding and it seems that the step is “growing” from the wall.
A little more dry theory, without which it is impossible to plan this or that staircase design.
STANDARD
- Height stair step should not exceed 17.5-18 cm, otherwise climbing the stairs will be very steep and dangerous.
- The tread (step depth) cannot be less than 23 cm, otherwise the foot may slip when descending.
- One flight of stairs cannot have more than 15 steps; if there are more of them, then the staircase structure should be divided by a landing. This point will ensure comfortable movement up the stairs for elderly people; otherwise, at the first level it should be included in the plan sleeping area for people of the older generation (we will all be them one day :)
- The minimum permissible width of a flight of stairs is 80 cm, provided that only one person can use the stairs at a time; for two this figure increases to 120 cm or more.
- Any staircase must be equipped with railings, these can be railings, walls on both sides, including glass.
Add the thickness of the floor to the height of the room and divide this value by 0.18 m (maximum permissible height steps), the resulting value is rounded to a larger integer.
In this way the number of steps is obtained.
Now all that remains is to make sure that all these steps will fit into the size of the room. We multiply their number minus one (the top one will be the “floor” of the second level and is not included in the calculation) by 0.23 m (minimum tread).
Example: the height of the room is 2.5 m, the thickness of the ceiling is 20 cm, the width of the wall to which the staircase will be attached is 4.5 m, but in order to approach it and start climbing, you need to leave at least the width of the flight of stairs from the corner (let us have this will be 90 cm) plus the same amount from the corner on the second level. Thus, 4.4-0.9*2=2.6 m remains.
We calculate the number of steps: (2.5+0.2)/0.18= 15
IN in this case it turned out to be an integer, but if you have, for example, 16.2, it is better to round up, that is, 17.
Now we check whether these 14 (15-1=14) steps will fit into the specified width size (2.9 m). Multiply 14 by 0.23 and get 3.45. This is much more than the stated value.
In this case, the staircase design will need to be made with a rotation. Just a counter question: how to calculate such a staircase?
We take the entire width of the wall (4.4 m), subtract from it the width of the turn, which is equal to the width of the flight of stairs (at least 0.8 m, ours is 90 cm) and another such width for exiting the stairs to upper level. We count: 4.4-0.9*2=2.6 m
Divide the resulting value by 0.23 and round down. It turns out: 2.6/0.23=11.3, that is, 11 steps.
So, the original size of the wall accommodates a 90 cm turn, a 90 cm exit and 11 steps.
We should have 14 steps in height, we have already “attached” 11 of them, 3 remain, but one step will be at the level of the platform, which means 3-1=2, in total three steps should be attached to the turntable, but additional length will be required only two.
To find out whether it will be possible to fit the rotation of the stairs to the adjacent wall, we calculate it minimum size. It consists of the width of the turn (the width of the flight), for us it is 90 cm, and the total width of the remaining steps 0.9 + 2*0.23=1.36 m.
So, to make a staircase in the room in question, it is necessary that a turn of 1.36 m is placed at the adjacent wall.
If we make a plan of the walls in question, then our structure will look like the diagram above.
Another important point: hole in interfloor covering must have a size. sufficient for safe lifting tall man, this is 2 m from the bottom edge of the ceiling to the step located underneath it.
For this very reason, the design and location of the staircase is designed at the design stage of the house, and not adjusted to what is there later.
Types of stairs — stairs are classified according to five main characteristics:
Types of stairs by angle of rise
Types of stairs according to the steepness of the ascent angle.
| Stair type | Tilt angle in degrees | Place of application |
| Gentle ramps |
0 — 5º | Gardens, parks |
| Regular ramps |
5 - 10º | |
| Slope ramps |
10 - 15º | Industrial and public buildings |
| Garden stairs |
15 - 20º | Gardens, parks |
| Stairs for mass circulation |
20 - 30º | Public buildings and structures. |
| Internal stairs |
30 - 40º | |
| Internal and external stairs. |
35 - 45º | In residential buildings, cottages with little traffic |
| Attic stairs |
45 - 60º | IN non-residential premises, in houses, cottages, apartments. |
| Stepladders ladders |
60 - 75º | Portable and temporary ladders |
| Firefighters, bailiffs and rope ladders |
75 - 90º | Inside and outside office premises, residential buildings, dachas, cottages |
Types of stairs according to the design of stair elements
This classification of stairs is based on the types of load-bearing element of the flight of stairs, and there are four main types:- Staircases on stringers
- Stairs on bowstrings
- Stairs on rails
- Cantilever stairs
| Stair type |
Photo | Description |
| On the stringer |  | Stringer is the most common type of load-bearing element of stairs, this is due to the fact that it is easier to install and repair. The number of stringers in a staircase can be from 1 or more; stairs with one stringer are called stairs with a central stringer. |
| On the bowstring |  | The main difference from stringer stairs is the absence of protrusions for the steps on the supporting element (string). It is considered more complex design, since grooves are made with inside strings for mounting steps. |
| On the Bolts |  | The so-called self-supporting staircase on rails. The load in such stairs is distributed between the steps using bolts (bolt - German) and balusters. |
| On consoles |  | Load-bearing element cantilever stairs is the wall into which the steps are mounted. |
Types of stairs according to layout within one floor.
The most voluminous staircase typification in terms of options.| № | Staircase layout type | Staircase layout diagrams |
| 1 | Straight one-flight staircase |  |
| 2 |  |
|
| 3 |  |
|
| 4 |  |
|
| 5 |  |
|
| 6 |  |
|
| 7 |  |
|
| 8 |  |
|
| 9 |  |
|
| 10 |  |
|
| 11 |  |
|
| 12 |  |
|
| 13 |  |
|
| 14 |  |
|
| 15 |  |
|
| 16 |  |
|
| 17 |  |
|
| 18 |  |
|
| 19 |  |
|
| 20 |  |
|
| 21 |  |
|
| 22 |  |
|
| 23 |  |
|
| 24 |  |
|
| 25 |  |
|
| 26 |  |
|
| 27 |  |
|
| 28 |  |
Open and closed stairs
This feature of a staircase is determined by the presence of a riser or riser. If there is a riser it meansclosed staircase, without riseropen staircase.
Types of stairs according to the material of the supporting structure
The material for the stairs can be very diverse, the main thing is that it physical properties provided the necessary structural strength. It should be noted the following trend, combined stairs are when Basic structure made of one material, for example, reinforced concrete, and the finishing is made of either wood or stone. We list the most common materials from which stairs are made:- Tree
- Metal
- Concrete
- Reinforced concrete
- Stone - marble, granite, etc.
- Glass
- Plastic
- Rope
| Staircase type by material | Photo |
| They are made mainly from laminated wood such as oak, beech, pine, larch, birch, etc. It is used for both indoor and outdoor stairs. |  |
| most often installed on industrial enterprises and outdoors, as they have increased strength and service life. |  |
| Most often they are built in gardens and parks, and where there is a slight difference in height. |  |
| installed mainly in multi-storey buildings (administrative, residential). |  |
can be divided into two conditional groups
|   |
| they began to build relatively recently after the appearance of triplex, glass stairs are installed in places with low traffic intensity. |  |
| mainly used in places with high humidity(swimming pools, boats) |  |
| Widely used as children's sports equipment and as special equipment. |  |
Types of stairs, with all the variety of their designs, can be divided into three main types:
- Marching staircase
- The staircase is spiral, or spiral, and its variant is a staircase with winder steps
- Staircase on rails
Let's consider each type of stairs in detail.
Marching staircase
The classic staircase is the most common and familiar. It takes up quite a lot of usable space, but provides comfort and safety. Requires a calculation for which the initial data will be not only the dimensions and height of the room.
Construction regulations regulate all dimensions and parameters of stairs - the depth and height of steps, the slope and width of flights, the height of handrails, the distances between balusters. Calculations are carried out using formulas. The resulting results for the cottage stairs should be adjusted - towards convenience and safety, taking into account the height, weight, and of course, the age of the owners. If there are small children in the house, then it is worth making the staircase fence continuous. Modern designs using colored polycarbonates as stair railings, they look great in lobbies. If you decide to install railings on balusters, then the distance between the balusters should be such that a child cannot crawl between them. You should also increase the clearance of the stairs and the depth of the treads if the owners are tall.
Although flights of stairs with a large number of steps it is more economical in volume and more presentable, you should not take the number of steps in a flight more than ten, but better yet even less. A staircase with nine or seven steps is comfortable both when ascending and descending, and in the event of a possible fall, the risk of injury is much less. It’s not for nothing that double-flight staircases connected by platforms are traditional; they are time-tested.
Marching stairs, like other types of stairs, can be closed or open.
There may be no risers, but the staircase will look lighter and more openwork. And it will lose some of its security benefits. Open or through stairs have their fans, but are not popular with people who prefer stability and safety to image.
Fastening of flight stairs
Based on the type of fastenings, flight ladders are divided into ladders on stringers and ladders on a bowstring. A stringer is a beam fastened at two levels, onto which treads are mounted from the top, and risers are installed from the ends.
String beams made of wood look best; they go well with many styles, for example, Provence, country, historical.
The beam structure, called the bowstring, also runs along the entire length of the march. The treads and risers are laid and strengthened into grooves located in the bowstrings, while the entire end of the march is closed.
Depending on the number of flights, stairs can be one-, two-, three- and multi-flight. The choice depends on the planning features of the house, the number and height of floors and their purpose. Single-flight staircases are all straight; if there are two or more flights, the staircase will be rotary and have intermediate platforms. Sometimes these platforms are made in the form of steps emanating from the center of the turn; they are called winder ones. This saves space, but for convenience and safety, the narrow winder steps at the center are not the best option. Many people say that when walking on such steps they do not feel support for their legs and experience discomfort. Usually turning stairs with winder steps are installed along the wall, and the space under the stairs is used for the device decorative niches or even storage rooms.
Another division of flight stairs is based on the angles of rotation. This angle can be a half turn, or 180⁰, a circle, or 360⁰, and a quarter turn, or 90⁰.
Circular staircases look great in the center of the hall and play a major role in designs.
Quarter turn stairs are usually installed against adjacent walls.
Half-turn stairs. As a rule, they are mounted along the walls.
Spiral or spiral staircase
In terms of comfort and safety, these stairs cannot be compared with marching stairs, but if you need to fit the stairs into small room, screw - will do. The calculation of the stairs depends on the required minimum dimensions of the steps. The length of the steps, or the width of the flight, can be from 0.5 to 1 or more meters. In this case, you need twice as much volume - from 1 to 2 meters. A narrow staircase is justified for ground floor, attic and attic. The shape of spiral staircases can be very diverse - from square and polygon to circle.
Material for spiral staircases
The material for spiral staircases is usually wood or metals. Wedge-shaped steps are mounted around a support column, usually - steel pipe. The narrow side of the step is attached to the column, the wide side is located within the boundaries of the walls or is fenced with railings with balusters; another design of the fence is possible - solid. As a rule, there are no risers; the stairs are through.
Basic rules for constructing spiral staircases
- The width of the tread in its widest section should not be more than 0.4 m, and in the center the tread should not be narrower than 0.2-0.25 m. These parameters must be observed for the safety of movement on the future stairs.
- As a rule, these types of stairs are auxiliary. They are good for saving space and are attractive in terms of design, but it is better if they are additional, and a permanent staircase is a convenient flat flight option. Spiral staircases can be built into small openings. The smaller the diameter of the opening, the steeper and more uncomfortable the staircase will be.
- Spiral stairs are located at load-bearing walls or in the center of the lobby, where they look great and don't require much space. Still, most people prefer comfortable marches, and that's understandable. After all, descending a spiral “simulator” requires unremitting attention and accuracy, which does not go well with the principles of cozy housing - convenience, peace and stability.
Staircase on rails
They have both supporters and opponents. Many experts believe that ladders on rails are unreliable because they do not have a supporting frame. The steps are fastened with one end in the wall, and supported by the other - the upper step on the lower one using bolts - bolts. The name of this type of staircase comes from the German word bolzen (pin, bolt).
But a staircase on rails is another type of staircase - the steps of which, installed in the wall, are also supported by the previous, lower step in the wall structure, and are not only attached with rails at the free ends. This architectural structure has been known since the 16th century, and many ancient staircases are intact and in use to this day. Their steps are made of whole piece stone It is more correct to call these ladders cantilevers. These structures work more in compression, while staircases on bolts are cantilever, they experience mostly bending loads.
Stairs on rails are good for their compactness, elegant design and amaze with their weightless, airy design and abundance of light in the room. This type of stairs has many fans, and their popularity is growing, but one of the reasons for this growth is still banal savings. Compared to marching stairs, rail stairs are more economical not only in volume, but also significantly more economical in material, often to the detriment of safety.
The advantage of ladders on rails is that they only seem elegant, but in fact the structures are very durable. The maximum load per step for some types of such stairs is more than 1.5 tons!
