Would People Use the Stairs More if They Were Nicer?
Think about the stairs in the average building. They are simply stairwells -very claustrophobic – very unpleasant – very utilitarian. In general, they are often not attractive spaces.
I recently visited ZGF Architects at the 12 West building in Portland, Oregon which is a LEED Platinum certified high-rise building. One of the really cool features of ZGF’s office space in this tower is the open stairs between floors. If you visit the firm’s web site you can actually see pictures of the stairs under the “interiors” tab.
When you were in these stairs you noticed they were beautiful. They weren’t wells they were open to the spaces. The vertical space of the stairs became a connector of the spaces in the building. They were airy and bright, they also incorporated the environment of the floor in terms of the acoustics and appearance. You saw people stopping and talking on the stairs.
It made me think ‘If the stairs were more appealing would people be willing to use them?’ The designers of this building thought so and they were right.
One of the concepts put forward for reducing power consumption in buildings is rethinking how we can incorporate stairs between floors. Not only does it save energy, it adds to the overall aesthetics in the design. An unrelated benefit is that it increases the cardiovascular benefits for employees and visitors. As we consider how we might change the ways we think of and incorporate these spaces in our building, we must remain mindful of the science of air flows and how large columns of air behave. There must be an eloquent solution which combines form, function, and efficiency.
Have you seen any examples of the creative uses of stairs in buildings?
Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed Corporation