www.covenantuniversity.edu.

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OMEGA SEMESTER 2023/2024 SESSION.

Raising a new Generation of Leaders

BUILDING COMPONENTS & METHODS II (ARC226)

MODULE 2, LECTURE NO. 4
INTERNAL & EXTERNAL ELEMENTS
(Stairways- Types, Design considerations)

Course Lecturers:
Dr. O. D. Babalola, Arc H. Essien, Arc C. Nduka-kalu & Arc O. Solarin

Department of Architecture,
College of Science & Technology, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.
 4. STAIRWAY
■ 4.1 Definition
■ 4.2 Components and terminology
 4.2.1 Step
 4.2.2 The railing system
 4.2.3 Other terminology
 4.2.4 Measurements
■ 4.3 Ergonomics and building code requirements
■ 4.4 Forms
 4.4.1 Spiral stairs
 4.4.2 Helical or circular stairs

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■ 4.1 Definition
■ Stairway, staircase, stairwell, flight of stairs or simply stairs are:
names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical
distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps.
■ Stairways may be:
straight, round, or may consist of two or more straight pieces
connected at angles. They are generally geometrical in nature-
simple and more complex.
■ Special stairways include escalators and ladders.
■ Alternatives to stairways are elevators, stairlifts and inclined
moving sidewalks as well as stationary inclined sidewalks.
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Typical Stairways
- Straight stairway

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Typical Stairways
- Straight stairway

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Typical Stairway
- L- Stairways

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Typical Stairway
- U- Stairway:

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Typical Stairway
- Stairway with Treads protruding from walls

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■ 4.2 Components and terminology
■ 4.2.1 Step:
• The step is composed of the tread and riser.
• Tread - the part of the stairway that is stepped on. It is constructed to the same
specifications (thickness) as any other flooring. The tread "width" is measured
from the outer edge of the step to the vertical "riser" (or supposed location)
between steps.
• Riser - the vertical portion between each tread on the stair. This may be missing
for an "open" stair effect.
• Nosing - an edge part of the tread that protrudes over the riser beneath. If it is
present, this means that horizontally, the total "run" length of the stairs is not
simply the sum of the tread lengths, the treads actually overlap each other slightly

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Run and Rise:

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• ■Starting step or Bullnose - where stairs are open on one or both sides,
the first step above the lower floor may be wider than the other steps and
rounded.
• The balusters typically form a semi-circle around the circumference of the
rounded portion and the handrail has a horizontal spiral called a "volute"
that supports the top of the balusters.

• Besides the cosmetic appeal, starting steps allow the balusters to form a
wider, more stable base for the end of the handrail. Handrails that simply
end at a post at the foot of the stairs can be less sturdy, even with a thick
post. A double bullnose can be used when both sides of the stairs are open.

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■Winders

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■The stringers are sometimes notched so that the risers
and treads fit into them.

• Stringers on open-sided stairs are often open themselves

so that the treads are visible from the side.

• Such stringers are called "cut" stringers. Stringers on

a closed side of the stairs are closed, with the support
for the treads routed into the stringer.

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■.Trim - trim (e.g. quarter-round or baseboard trim) is normally applied where
walls meet floors and often underneath treads to hide the reveal where the tread and
riser meet.
■ Shoe moulding may be used between where the lower floor and the first riser
meet.

■ Trimming a starting step is a special challenge as the last riser above the lower
floor is rounded.

■ Flexible plastic trim is available for this purpose, however wood(en) mouldings are
still used and are either cut from a single piece of rounded wood, or bent with
laminations. Scotia is concave moulding that is underneath the nosing between the
riser and the tread above it.
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■ 4.2.2 The railing system:
• The balustrade is the system of railings and balusters that prevents people
from falling over the edge.

• Banister, Railing or Handrail - the angled member for handholding, as

distinguished from the vertical balusters which hold it up for stairs that are
open on one side; there is often a railing on both sides, sometimes only on one
side or not at all, on wide staircases there is sometimes also one in the middle,
or even more.

• The term "banister" is sometimes used to mean just the handrail, or

sometimes the handrail and the balusters or sometimes just the balusters.
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Run and Rise:

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 Volute - a handrail for the bullnose step that is shaped like a spiral.
Volutes may be right or left-handed depending on which side of the
stairs they occur when facing up the stairs.
 Turnout - instead of a complete spiral volute, a turnout is a quarter-
turn rounded end to the handrail.

 Gooseneck - the vertical handrail that joins a sloped handrail to a

higher handrail on the balcony or landing is a gooseneck.
 Rosette - where the handrail ends in the wall and a half-newel is not
used, it may be trimmed by a rosette.
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■ Easing - wall handrails are mounted directly onto the wall with
wall brackets. At the bottom of the stairs such railings flare to a
horizontal railing and this horizontal portion is called a "starting
easing". At the top of the stairs, the horizontal portion of the
railing is called a "over easing".

• Core rail - wood handrails often have a metal core to provide

extra strength and stiffness, especially when the rail has to curve
against the grain of the wood. The archaic term for the metal
core is "core rail".
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■ Baluster - a term for the vertical posts that hold up the handrail. Sometimes
simply called guards or spindles. Treads often require two balusters.

• The second baluster is closer to the riser and is taller than the first. The
extra height in the second baluster is typically in the middle between
decorative elements on the baluster.

• That way the bottom decorative elements are aligned with the tread and the
top elements are aligned with the railing angle. However, this means the
first and second balusters are manufactured separately and cannot be
interchanged. Balusters without decorative elements can be interchanged.
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• ■Newel - a large baluster or post used to anchor the handrail. Since it is a
structural element, it extends below the floor and subfloor to the bottom of the
floor joists and is bolted right to the floor joist.
• A half-newel may be used where a railing ends in the wall. Visually, it looks
like half the newel is embedded in the wall. For open landings, a newel may
extend below the landing for a decorative newel drop.

• Baserail or Shoerail - for systems where the baluster does not start at the
treads, they go to a baserail. This allows for identical balusters, avoiding the
second baluster problem.
• Fillet - a decorative filler piece on the floor between balusters on a balcony
railing.
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• ■Handrails may be continuous (sometimes called over-the-post) or post-to-
post (or more accurately "newel-to-newel"). For continuous handrails on long
balconies, there may be multiple newels and tandem caps to cover the
newels.
• At corners, there are quarter-turn caps. For post-to-post systems, the newels
project above the handrails.

• Another, more classical, form of hand railing which is still in use is the
Tangent method. A variant of the Cylindrical method of layout, it allows for
continuous climbing and twisting rails and easing. It was defined from
principles set down by architect Peter Nicholson in the 18th century.

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■4.2.3 Other terminologies:
• Balcony - for stairs with an open concept upper floor or landing, the
upper floor is functionally a balcony. For a straight flight of stairs, the
balcony may be long enough to require multiple newels to support the
length of railing.

• In modern homes, it is common to have hardwood floors on the first

floor and carpet on the second. The homeowner should consider using
hardwood nosing in place of carpet. Should the carpet be subsequently
replaced with hardwood, the balcony balustrade may have to be
removed to add the nosing.
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■Flight - a flight is an uninterrupted series of steps.

• Floating stairs - a flight of stairs is said to be "floating" if

there is nothing underneath. The risers are typically missing
as well to emphasize the open effect.

• There may be only one stringer or the stringers otherwise

minimized. Where building codes allow, there may not even
be handrails.
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■Landing or Platform - a landing is the area of a floor near the top or bottom
step of a stair. An intermediate landing is a small platform that is built as part of
the stair between main floor levels and is typically used to allow stairs to change
directions, or to allow the user a rest.

• As intermediate landings consume floor space they can be expensive to build.

• However, changing the direction of the stairs allows stairs to fit where they
would not otherwise, or provides privacy to the upper level as visitors
downstairs cannot simply look up the stairs to the upper level due to the change
in direction.

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• ■Runner - carpeting that runs down the middle of the stairs. Runners may be
directly stapled or nailed to the stairs, or may be secured by specialized bar that
holds the carpet in place where the tread meets the riser.

• Spandrel - If there is not another flight of stairs immediately underneath, the

triangular space underneath the stairs is called a "spandrel". It is frequently
used as a closet.

• Staircase - this term is often reserved for the stairs themselves: the steps,
railings and landings; though often it is used interchangeably with "stairs" and
"stairway".

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■In the UK, however, the term "staircase" denotes what
in the U.S. is called "stairway", but usually includes the
casing - the walls, bannisters and underside of the stairs
or roof above.

• Stairway - this term is often reserved for the entire

stairwell and staircase in combination; though often it
is used interchangeably with "stairs" and "staircase".
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■4.2.4 Measurements:
Stair measurements:
• The rise height of each step is measured from the top of one tread to the next. It is
not the physical height of the riser; the latter excludes the thickness of the tread.
• The tread depth or length is measured from the edge of the nosing to the vertical
riser. It is sometimes called the going.

• The total run of the stairs is the horizontal distance from the first riser to the last
riser. It is often not simply the sum of the individual tread lengths due to the nosing
overlapping between treads.
• The total rise of the stairs is the height between floors (or landings) that the flight of
stairs is spanning.
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• ■The slope of the stairs is the total rise divided by the total run (not the
individual riser and treads due to the nosing). It is sometimes called the rake
or pitch of the stairs. The pitch line is the imaginary line along the tip of the
nosing of the treads.

• Headroom is the height above the nosing of a tread to the ceiling above it.

• Walkline - for curved stairs, the inner radius of the curve may result in very
narrow treads. The "walkline" is the imaginary line some distance away from
the inner edge on which people are expected to walk. Building code will
specify the distance. Building codes will then specify the minimum tread size
at the walkline.
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■ To avoid confusion, the number of steps in a
set of stairs is always the number of risers, not
the number of treads.

• The easiest way to calculate the rise and run is to use a

stair stringer calculator.

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■ 4.3 Ergonomics and building code requirements:
• Ergonomically and for safety reasons, stairs have to have certain
measurements in order for people to comfortably use them. Building codes
will typically specify certain measurements so that the stairs are not too steep
or narrow. Building codes will specify:

• 1. Minimum tread length, typically 225 mm (9 inches) including the nosing

for private residences. However, most human feet are longer than 225 mm (9
inches), thus people's feet don't actually fit on the tread of the step.
• 2. Maximum riser height, typically 220 mm (8.75 inches). Note that by
specifying the maximum riser height and minimum tread length, a maximum
slope is established. Residential building codes will typically allow for steeper
stairs than public building codes.
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• ■minimum riser height: Some building codes also specify a minimum riser
height, often 100/125 mm (4/5 inches).

• 3. Riser-Tread formula: The formula is 2R+ G= 550-700mm [2 times Rise +

Going equals 550-700 mm (22-28 inches )].
• OR simply, 550mm < = 2R+ G < = 700mm

• Thus a 175 mm (7 inch) rise and a 250 mm (10 inch) tread exactly meets this
code. If only a 50 mm (2 inches) rise is used then a 450-600 mm (18-24 inches)
tread is required.
• This is based on the principle that a low rise is more like walking up a gentle
incline and so the natural swing of the leg will be longer.
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• ■ 4. Variance on riser height and tread depth between steps on the same
flight should be very low. Building codes may specify variances as small as
6 mm (0.25 of an inch).
• The reason is that on a continuous flight of stairs, people get used to a
regular step and may trip if there is a step that is different, especially at night.

• 5. Maximum nosing protrusion, typically 32 mm (1.25 inches)

to prevent people from tripping on the nosing.
• 6. Height of the handrail. This is typically between 840 and 1000 mm,
measured to the nose of the tread. The minimum height of the handrail for
landings may be different and is typically 914 mm (36 inches).
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■ 7. Handrail diameter. The size has to be comfortable for grasping and is typically
between 32 and 70 mm (1.25 and 2.75 inches).
• 8. Maximum space between the balusters of the handrail. This is typically 102
mm (4 inches).

• 9. Openings (if they exist) between the bottom rail and treads are typically no
bigger than 152 mm (6 inches).
• 10. Minimum headroom- 2000 mm
• 11. Maximum vertical height between floors or landings. This allows people to
rest and limits the height of a fall.
• 12. Mandate handrails if there is more than a certain number of steps (typically 2
risers)
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• ■Minimum width of the stairway, with and without handrails
does not allow doors to swing over steps; the arc of doors
must be completely on the landing/floor; and preferably to
be off landing.
• A Stairwell may be designated as an Area of refuge as well as a fire
escape route, due to its fire-resistance rated design and fresh air supply.

• It is estimated that a noticeable mis-step once in 7,398 uses (or 1 in over

7,000) and a minor accident on a flight of stairs occurs once in 63,000
uses. Some people chose to live in residences without stairs so that they
are protected from injury.
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■ Stairs are not suitable for wheelchairs and other
vehicles.
■ A stair-lift is a mechanical device for lifting wheelchairs
up and down stairs. For sufficiently wide stairs, a rail is
mounted to the treads of the stairs.

■ A chair or lifting platform is attached to the rail. A

person on the chair or platform is lifted as the chair or
platform moves along the rail.
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■ 6.4 Forms:
• Stairs can take a large number of forms, combining winders and landings.

• The simplest form is the straight flight of stairs, without any winders nor
landings. It is not often used in modern homes because:
• the upstairs is directly visible from the bottom of a straight flight of stairs.

• it is potentially more dangerous in that a fall is not interrupted until the

bottom of the stairs.
• a straight flight requires enough space for the entire run of the stairs.

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■However, a straight flight of stairs is easier to design and construct
than one with landings.

Additionally, the rhythm of stepping is not interrupted in a straight run, which

may offset the increased fall risk by helping to prevent a misstep in the first place.

• Most modern stairs incorporate at least one landing. "L" shaped stairways
have one landing and usually change in direction by 90 degrees.
• "U" shaped stairs may employ a single wider landing for a change in
direction of 180 degrees, or 2 landings for two changes in direction of 90
degrees each.

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• ■Use of landings and a possible change of direction have the
following effects:
• The upstairs is not directly visible from the bottom of the stairs, which
can provide more privacy for the upper floor.
• A fall can be arrested at the landing.

• Though the landings consume total floor space, there is no requirement

for a large single dimension, allowing more flexible floorplan designs.
• For larger stairs, particularly in exterior applications, a landing can
provide a place to rest the legs.
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■4.4.1 Spiral stairs:
• Spiral stairs: wind around a central pole. They typically have a
handrail on the outer side only, and on the inner side just the central
pole.
• A squared spiral stair assumes a square stairwell and expands the
steps and railing to a square, resulting in unequal steps (larger where
they extend into a corner of the square).

• A pure spiral assumes a circular stairwell and the steps and handrail
are equal and positioned screw-symmetrically. A tight spiral stair with a
central pole is very space efficient in the use of floor area.
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■A user of these stairs must take care to not step too close to the central pole as it
becomes more likely that one or more steps may be missed, especially when going
down.

• Using the handrail will also direct the user to the safer outer portion of the
treads.

• Developments in manufacturing and design have led to the introduction of kit

form spiral stair. Steps and handrails can be bolted together to form a complete
unit.
• These stairs can be made out of steel, timber, concrete or a combination of
materials.
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■4.4.2 Helical or circular stairs:
Helical or circular stairs: do not have a central pole and there is a handrail on
both sides. These have the advantage of a more uniform tread width when
compared to the spiral staircase.
• Such stairs may also be built around an elliptical or oval planform. A
double helix is possible, with two independent helical stairs in the same
• vertical space, allowing one person to ascend and another to descend, without
ever meeting if they choose different helixes .
• Fire escapes, though built with landings and straight runs of stairs, are often
functionally double helixes provided the final height above ground floor does not
exceed 9000mm, with two separate stairs intertwinned and occupying the same
floor space. This is often in support of legal requirements to have two separate
fire escapes.
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■ Both spiral and helical stairs can be characterized by the number of turns
that are made.

■ A "quarter-turn" stair deposits the person facing 90 degrees from the

starting orientation.
■ Likewise there are half-turn, three-quarters-turn and full-turn stairs. A
continuous spiral may make many turns depending on the height. Very tall
multi turn spiral staircases are usually found in old stone towers within
fortifications, churches and in lighthouses.

■Winders may be used in combination with straight stairs to turn the direction
of the stairs. This allows for a large number of permutations.
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Typical Stairway
- Spiral/ Helical or Circular, or Elliptical stairs

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Typical Stairway
- Helical or Circular/Elliptical stairs:

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