THE STAIRCASE

Framing Vertical Space To Establish A Sense Of Place

The wall can be firstly defined as a device that primarily divides or demarcates a space. The wall can direct movements through openings or it serve as a barrier among users. The first few explorations investigate how openings are forged within a single wall that elicit the user’s motion or gaze across the plane.

These sets explore how movement can be directed through the arrangement of the walls. Walls can either be continuous and bent to signal flow and constrain space. Or they can be staggered across for more open and sporadic spaces, while dilineating volumes within. Overall arrangement and composition of the walls will thus depend on the nature of the space and program the user seeks to create.

Beyond serving its functions of ascending and descending, the stairs are pivotal in composing three-dimensional space. Like a vertical line connecting various points in a volume, the stairs aids in orienting and breaking down the scale of the building into conceivable parts. A narrow stairs, constrained in a thinner volume, can easily propel forward motion. While broader stairs within a larger volume invite the user to pause her passage and appreciate its surroundings.

A staircase can be broken down into stair, railings and landings. As the stair guides motion, the landing becomes a stopping point for rest and the railing provides anchor and support. Views and perspectives can be offered across landings, creating a more desirable passage. Stairs can be further expanded as a series of stacked terraces offering platforms for human activity and placemaking within. Unequivocally shared among others, the stairs can form sites for social performance.

Loosely Enclosed Partially Enclosed

Fully Enclosed

Different levels of enclosure are created as multiple walls join one another. Depending on the context and the user, levels of enclosure can allow a space to be perceived differently. A fully enclosed wall, though constraining in nature, can serve to protect the individuals within, ensuring privacy. The fully enclosed a wall can also create a new domain that liberates the user from the chaotic surroundings.

The wall can also be read as a vertidal surface that folds and modulates to further demarcate habitable spaces. More continuous and joined walls can invite a sense of journey and passage through the space, while their various folds and bents can offer points of contemplation.

Implementing solid railings along the stairs situates the user within the volumetric matrix of the staircase. As railings open up and designed lighter, the user is freed from the boundary of the stairs as she becomes exposed to exterior elements. The design of the railing thus plays a role in the user's experience while circulating.

The nature of the space and program can contribute in how the staircase will be designed and approached. The expression of the stairs thus become critical in communicating the programmatic intention. This can be seen in how the stairs are steeped, sloped and whether they are attached to the floor or independent from it.