tendency//stairs as gathering space date // spring 2016 duration // one semester objective // compare any object of one's choice to one recurring theme in architecture shown // Boy Meets World +architectural evolution of stairs
7/11. That’s the typical ratio for a typical set of stairs in a typical building in the United States, which sounds...typical...to say the least. A series of levels deliberately guiding one from one story to another, a path not a journey. A direct connection between spaces. A transition space unintended for lingering. While stairs are a necessary component of buildings, they are not necessarily beautiful and
There are two types of stairs: means of egress and architectural. The former is a means of safety while the latter is meant to be seen. Still, those that are meant to be seen are not typically utilized for personal interaction or the exchange of conversation and ideas. That idea has been flipped upside down in recent years, namely in schools and museums, where staircases are becoming larger, more prominent spatial features, allowing for community and interpersonal conversation. In essence the transformation of a mundane element to a useful, beautiful one.
do not always add something positive to a space.
Those 7/11 stairs suddenly become 24/18 and a
This, however, has been changing in recent years.
typical staircase expands from three feet wide to 20
Rather than being a means of egress the staircase
feet. People no longer walk up and down them with
has begun to take on different meaning greatly
blinders on; they linger, they converse, and bring
affecting the users’ experience of a space.
life to an otherwise “boring” space.
40 // valentine catapano