Stairs & Staircases

Unique Staircase Design

stairmaster — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:32:10 +0000

A good architect will try to incorporate both safety and aesthetics into a staircase design. A unique staircase design is at the mercy of the imagination of the designer. Some of the most impressive staircase designs were created by designers who discard conventions and unleash their creative flair. In doing so, their designs become the [...]

Scala Regia

stairmaster — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:54:21 +0000

Scala Regia (Royal Staircase)is a famous flight of stairs which is located in the Vatican City. It was built in the 16th Century by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and is an integral element to the Vatican entrance. Its purpose was to connect the Vatican Palace to St Peter’s Basilica. After many years of [...]

Modern Architecture

stairmaster — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:37:41 +0000

Modern Staircase Design What describes modern staircase design? Elegance, clean and crisp lines, sharp, simplicity, minimalist, quality… Modern stair design is restricted only by the designer’s imagination but should strive to achieve function and style. Complex structures and geometric shapes should appear effortless with broad flowing lines and clean edges. Elegance without extravagance. When choosing a modern staircase [...]

External Balustrade

stairmaster — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:11:15 +0000

External Stairs & Balustrading There are different types of external stairs, from car park staircases to fire escape stairs. External staircases are quite common on multi-level apartment buildings, shopping malls, schools and universities. They can be decorative or just functional as an additional exit or entry point. Fire escape stairs, of course, are built to special specifications [...]

Steel Balustrades

stairmaster — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:52:35 +0000

Steel Balustrades There are many materials to choose from when deciding what to make your staircase balusters from. They can be manufactured from glass, timber, stainless steel, wire and so on. Steel is a great material for balustrading since not only is it very durable but also looks beautiful. Steel balusters can be rounded, sqaure, decorative, or horizontal. [...]

Timber Balustrades

stairmaster — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:21:20 +0000

Timber Timber is wood that has been felled. Timber is used for all sorts of purposes, from wood pulp for paper production to furniture, structural materials, tools, toys, artworks, weapons and so on. The two main types of timber are softwoods and hardwoods, although many materials are actually engineered wood products today. Hardwood is sourced from angiosperm trees, which [...]

Iron Balustrades

stairmaster — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:38:44 +0000

What is Iron? Iron and iron alloys are the most widely used metals due to their low cost and high strength. Iron is metallic chemical element, classified as a transition metal. Although iron is the sixth most abundant element in the universe and the most abundant on Earth, it is rarely found in its pure form [...]

Wire Balustrades

stairmaster — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:21:34 +0000

Properties of Wire A wire is a single string of metal, usually cylindrical. They are formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate (a hardened steel plate with one or more holes through which wire is drawn to make it thinner), and the different sizes are determined by various wire [...]

Stainless Steel Balustrades

stairmaster — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:49:39 +0000

Stainless Steel Stainless steel is a steel alloy with a minimum of 11% chromium content. There are different grades and surface finishes of stainless steel to suit the environment in which it is to be used. It differs from carbon steel by the amount of chromium present. Carbon steel rusts when exposed to air and moisture, whereas [...]

Glass Balustrades

stairmaster — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:40:59 +0000

Glass Balustrading Traditionally, balustrades were moulded posts or spindles installed in staircases to support the handrail or banister. They are also used in parapets, fencing and gates. The term is derived from the Italian ‘balaustra’, which means ‘pomegranate flower’ because of the similarity to the curved form of the half-open flower. Balustrades are made from a range [...]