DESIGN GUIDE

STAIRS

First In Architecture
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© 2022 First In Architecture. All Rights Reserved.

 TABLE OF
CONTENTS

01 Ideas and Inspiration

02 Staircase Terms and Layouts

03 Stair Regulations

04 Materials and Considerations of

Design

05 How to Calculate Stairs

06 Next Steps

07 Thank you!
01

IDEAS AND
INSPIRATION
Staircases can have a massive impact on a residential project. They can be a focal
point of a space, provide light and interest, so it's important to take time to consider
your options when designing the stairs in your project.

Some of the staircase design will be dictated by the space available, floor levels and
so on.

However, there will be other aspects of the staircase design that you will have control
over.

For instance:
Will the stairs be light or solid?
Will they be simple or intricate?
Will the stair serve another purpose like under stair storage?
With the materials be robust or warm?
Will the stair be wide or narrow, open or enclosed?
Will the staircase have natural light, or a lighting scheme designed into the staircase?

Lets take a look at some of these ideas...

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Lightweight Stair Ideas

These stairs are all lightweight in appearance, often because they appear to be
floating and therefore give the impression of weightlessness.

01 Wrap House by Apollo Architects & Associates, photo:

Masao Nishikawa from https://www.architonic.com/en
02 Marretti Stairs
http://www.marrettistairs.com/staircase/catalogo_marretti.php
? pagina=13&key=Hanging_staircases_Origami_1&id_pagina=185
03 Old Town House by Mario Martins Atelier
https://homeadore.com/2013/11/08/town-house-mario-
martins-atelier/
04 Renovated Apartment in Buenos Aires
https://design-milk.com/renovated-apartment-buenos-aires/

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Solid Staircase Ideas

01 DLR Robotics and Mechatronics Centre Birk

Heilmeyer und Frenzel Architeckten
https://www.archdaily.com/771279/dlr-
robotics-and-mechatronics-center-birk-
heilmeyer-und-frenzel-
architekten/55bffa40e58ece81f0000110-dlr-
robotics-and-mechatronics-center-birk-
heilmeyer-und-frenzel-architekten-photo
02 DLR Robotics and Mechatronics Centre
Birk Heilmeyer und Frenzel Architeckten
https://www.archdaily.com/771279/dlr-
robotics-and-mechatronics-center-birk-
heilmeyer-und-frenzel-
architekten/55bff9f3e58ece0a2b000122-dlr-
robotics-and-mechatronics-center-birk-
heilmeyer-und-frenzel-architekten-photo?
next_project=no
03 Pedro House by VDV ARQ
https://architizer.com/projects/pedro-house/

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Under Staircase Storage Ideas

01 Archilovers
https://www.archilovers.com/projects/204853/gallery?1872514
02 Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/501025527286764547/
03
https://www.reciclaredecorar.com/2016/09/ideias-para-usar-prateleiras-na.html
04 Architectural Digest
Inside Scott Disick’s Hamptons-Inspired Hidden Hills Home | Architectural Digest

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Narrow Staircase Ideas

01 Archdaily
https://www.archdaily.com/104506/volgadacha-house-buro-bernaskoni
02 Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/369365606936524006/

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Wide Stair Ideas

01 Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/57399791500716
1002/
02 Home Adore - Terceroderecha Arquitectos
03
https://freshideen.com/wohnideen/30-
moderne-treppen.html

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Natural Light Stair Ideas

01 In Situ Studio
https://www.contemporist.com/house-surrounded-by-trees-overlooks-a-woodland-pond/
02
https://www.homestratosphere.com/entry-ideas/
03 Trendir - image credit Borje Muller
https://www.trendir.com/austrian-wooden-houses-timber-clad-inside-and-out/#more
04 Quattro - Luciano Lerner Basso - Archdaily
https://www.archdaily.com/781537/quattro-luciano-lemer-basso?ad_medium=gallery

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Stairs with Integrated Lighting Ideas

01
https://www.maisonlab.it/5-esempi-di-come-utilizzare-le-strisce-led/
02 Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/189573465554009407/
03 ArchDaily
Gallery of Ichot - Gate of Poznan / Ad Artis Architects - 22 (archdaily.com)
04 Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/573997914981946010/

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02

STAIRCASE TERMS AND

LAYOUTS
In this section of our stair guide we will look at the terminology of different parts of
the stair, along with some different stair layouts that can be incorporated into your
design.

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Stair Components

Strings: A span of timber to which treads and risers are attached to support a flight or
run of stairs. The string runs from top to bottom of a traditional timber staircase.

Tread: The horizontal part of the stair that is stepped on.

Risers: The vertical part of the stair. If the riser is solid, it is a solid riser, whereas if
there is no solid part to the riser it is known as an open riser. The number of steps in a
staircase is counted by the number of risers, not the number of treads.

Nosing: The edge of the tread projecting beyond the face of the riser.

Balustrade: A row of balusters (spindles) topped by a handrail serving as a safety

guarding and along the edge of a staircase.

Handrail: The handrail is the top part of the balustrade, usually between 900mm and
1100mm high. The handrail should follow the stair from top to bottom to guide the
user through the complete flight of stairs.

Newel: A large baluster or post acting as a structural element to anchor the

balustrade to the floor or stair.

Winder: A stair that is narrower on one side to enable a turn in the staircase. A series
of winders form a circular or spiral stairway.

Stair Terms

Flight: The flight is an uninterrupted series of steps.

Rise: The rise is the height of an individual step. There are specified requirements in
the building regulations for the rise of a step according the to use of the stairs - ie,
private dwelling, public buildings etc.

Going: The going is the depth of the individual step, measured from nosing to nosing.

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Pitch: The pitch is the angle of the staircase, again there are specific requirements on
pitch according the the building regulations.

Stair layouts

Straight run stair

L-shaped stair (quarter turn) with landing and L-shaped stair (quarter turn) with
winders

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U-shaped stair (half turn or dog leg) with landing and U-shaped stair (half turn or dog
leg) with winders

Spiral stair and Curved stair

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Other Stair Layouts

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03

STAIR REGULATIONS
Stair Design England Building Regulation Requirements (Private Dwellings)

The following notes refer to the English Building Regulation Requirements for
designing a stair in a private dwelling from Approved Document Part K. Please refer
to Approved Document Part B for recommendations and guidance for Fire Safety in
stair design.

Rise and Going

The rise of a stair must been between 150mm and 220mm, with any going between
220mm and 300mm and a maximum pitch of 42 degrees.

Rule of thumb: twice the rise plus the going or/ 2R + G should be between 550mm
and 700mm.

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Steps may have open risers if the treads have an overlap of minimum 16mm, a
100mm diameter sphere cannot pass through the open riser.

Headroom

Minimum headroom should be provided according to image below.

Where there is reduced headroom for loft conversions - a reduced headroom can be
provided according to the image below.

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Width of Stairs

There are no specific requirements for the width of a stair to a private dwelling,
however we recommend 900mm.

Length of flights of stairs

If a stair has more than 36 risers in a consecutive flight, a minimum of one change of
direction between flight will be required. The change of direction must be a minimum
of 30 degrees.

Landings

Landings must be level, and kept clear of all obstructions. A landing must be
provided at the top and bottom of every flight of stairs.

The landing distance in front of the top and bottom step must be longer than the
width of the staircase.

A door may swing across a landing at the bottom of a flight of stairs but only as
shown in the image below.

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Tapered treads

If a stair consists of straight and tapered treads - ensure that the going of the tapered
treads is not less than the going of the straight treads.

Refer to the diagrams below.

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Handrails

The top of a handrail must be 900mm to 1100mm from the pitch line or floor.

If the stairs are 1000mm or wider, provide a handrail on both sides of the stair.

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04

MATERIALS AND
CONSIDERATIONS OF
DESIGN
In this section we will look at some of the considerations needed to design stairs.

Safety

Stairs form a primary means of escape to the outside in case of fire or emergency so
it is important to ensure the stairs can be used safely. This includes ensuring handrails
are fixed at the right height and in accordance with Approved Document Part K, along
with keeping rise and tread dimensions consistent.

Fire Safety

The building regulations should be consulted for all fire related requirements of a
stair. The stairs are a principle means of escape and must be constructed of materials
that are able to maintain a fire resistance for a specified period of time. Stair must also
be protected from fire and smoke, and they must be constructed to allow for a safe
escape from the building. Refer to Building Regulations Approved Documents Part B.

Consider things like integrity of materials during a fire and size of steps for ease of
escape.

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Sound

Materials for the stair treads should be designed to minimise impact sound from foot
traffic. A metal or timber stair can be noisy when in use, but a concrete stair absorbs
more sound. The materials chosen will depend on many factors including cost, client
preferences, location, structural requirements and much more.

Fire Safety

Internal stairs can be made out of a multitude of materials, such as timber, concrete,
stone, metal and structural glass.

In a standard residential home timber is the most common material for stairs, often
prefabricated off site.

Timber stairs can integrate easily into a design, and can be altered on site as needed.
Timber has a relatively poor resistance to fire so they tend to be restricted to
residential use only. There are many options for a timber stair design, given the
versatility of the material. Timber stairs can be traditional in style or contemporary,
with cantilever treads from the wall for example. In this case the structural support of
the stair is concealed in the wall, from which the stair treads are cantilevered.

A softwood can be used for timber stairs, which is the more economical option, or
hardwoods such as oak, walnut or ash can also be used that are more expensive but
durable. Timber can also be incorporated with other materials, like metal or glass.

Concrete stairs can be made in situ using specific formwork to create the stair with a
screed added afterwards to allow for a smooth finish. The finished stair can be
polished, painted or clad in another material. Alternatively concrete stairs can be
supplied precast in sections and assembled on site.

Concrete stairs will have a good fire resistance and better impact sound absorption.
Stone stairs also have a good fire resistance and impact sound absorption and give a
very solid feel to the staircase. For a strong and solid look, but reducing the cost, it is
possible to clad stairs with a stone panel finish to get the desired stone appearance.

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Glass stairs allow for light to flow easily between rooms or floors in the house. This is
a great option to increase the natural light in a space. There are many ways glass can
be used in stair design.

Metal stairs can be designed for an industrial heavier feel or be more lightweight and
less heavy in appearance than timber. Metal is often used for balustrades in the form
of light weight balusters, or even mesh or tension wires.

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05

HOW TO CALCULATE
STAIRS
Working out stairs can sometimes be a bit of a headache. In this article we are going
to look at how to calculate stairs, the quick and easy way to work out your stair
requirements. First, take a look at the regulations that we can use as a starting point
for working out our risers and our going.

For the purpose of the following examples we will look at the regulations for Private
Stair.

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Example 1 - Determining the Risers

Above we have a change in level that requires a few steps. There is a floor to floor
level of 450mm.

If we refer to the regulations we can choose a riser height between 150mm and
220mm. Take the minimum riser height of 150mm. Divide the overall change in level
(overall rise) by 150mm.
450mm / 150mm = 3

This tells us that with a riser of 150mm we will need 3 risers/steps.

Perhaps we decided we would rather have 2 steps instead of three. We can divide
the change in level by the amount of steps we want:
450mm / 2 = 225mm

Having two steps will give us a rise of 225mm which according to the regulations
above would be over the maximum allowance for a riser. So in this case we have to
have a riser of 150mm giving 3 steps.

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Example 1 - Determining the Going / Run

As indicated in the regulations above, a normal relationship between the dimensions

of the rise and going is:

Twice the Rise plus the Going (2R + G) should be between 550mm and 700mm

To continue with the previous example let’s select a low going of 220mm.

This gives us 2 x 150mm + 220mm = 520mm

As we can see from the guidance above, it is recommended the outcome is between
550mm and 700mm

So let’s now try 275mm

2 x 150mm + 275mm = 575mm

As we can see this is within the normal limits so we can happily go with 150mm risers
and 275mm going.

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Example 2 - Determining the Risers

In this example we will take a Floor to Floor level of 2800mm (Total Rise).

If we refer back to the guidance we can use between 150mm and 220mm as a riser.
Take 200mm as a riser (a nice round number and not too shallow). Now divide the
total rise by the suggested riser distance.
2800mm / 200mm = 14

This gives us 14 risers at 200mm

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Referring back to the guidance we can have a going between 220 and 300mm Lets
take 275mm as a starting point.

To check if this is ok we can carry out the 2R+G

2 x 200mm + 275mm = 675mm

This is within the range of 550mm and 700mm so we can assume this is acceptable.

The image below shows the finished stair. Note that the total run does not include
step 14.
[Be aware that according to the regulations a stair of 14 risers would require a landing
– see further down this article for details]

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Example 3 - Working out the angle of the stair

We can also work out the angle of the stair (as according to the guidance it can be a
maximum of 42 degrees).

In order to work out our stair angle we can use a bit of basic trigonometry.

Total rise = 2800mm

Total run (when working out the angle) = no of risers x going

Total Run = 14 x 275mm
Total Run = 3850mm (note that when working out the angle the top step 14 is
included in the total run)

Tan = Opposite / Adjacent

So:
Opposite / Adjacent = 2800 / 3850 = 0.72
Inverse Tangent of 0.72 =36 degrees

Any outcome of Opposite / Adjacent that is under 0.9 will be under 42 degrees.

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You can also work out the angle by using the calculation run / rise.

So for this example:

Run = 200 Rise = 275 200/225 = 0.72
Inverse Tangent of 0.72 = 36 degrees

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06

NEXT STEPS
RESOURCES

Don't forget you can find all the original posts on First In Architecture -
just search “Stairs”.

We also have some useful CAD Blocks for Stairs here:

STAIRS - 01 STAIRS - 02
And this might be useful too!
An article demonstrating how to calculate slopes and gradients:

SLOPES AND GRADIENTS

MORE INSPIRATION

Finally, head over to Pinterest and give us a follow - our Pinterest boards are full of
Stair inspiration and a whole load more great architectural inspirational ideas and
images.

FIRST IN ARCHITECTURE

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07

THANK YOU!
I hope you have found this guide useful.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

If you have any questions or comments please send me an email at -

emma@firstinarchitecture.co.uk

Thanks again,
Emma
https://www.firstinarchitecture.co.uk/

HAPPY STAIR DESIGNING ;)

Author

Written by Emma Walshaw, founder of First In Architecture and the

Detail Library. Emma developed First In Architecture to help students
with their studies. She loves to take complicated topics and break them
down into simple explanations.

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