DO STAIRCASES TALK? ARE THEY BEYOND STRUCTURES?
- Aparna Venkat
- Sep 7, 2020
- 4 min read
I recently watched the ted talk by architect David Rockwell where he says,” I think, stairs may be one of the most emotionally malleable physical elements an architect has to work with.”
The basic function of a staircase is to help a person in moving from point A to point B, where either A is located at a higher level than B or vice versa. It’s generally accepted that humans evolved from early tree-dwelling ancestors. We learned to walk upright and live on the ground, making up for the relative safety of life in the branches with increasing intelligence, the use of tools and – eventually – the ability to build structures.
Malleable is quality of metal which allows its shape to be redefined according to ones need. Staircase being emotionally malleable brings a different challenge to the architect. Each staircase type can mean different, to different people. It creates some sort of impact on the visitor, for example, if the stairs have been squeezed into a smaller area with bigger steps like those in temples would evoke a different response as compared to a grandiose imperial staircase which has smaller steps and more space for a person to walk.
All staircases share a common language. Treads are the horizontal planes that you walk on while risers are the vertical elements separating each consecutive tread. Many stairs also have nosing’s creating an edge, with stringers connecting them. Even with these basic blocks, the possible varieties of stairs are mind boggling.
Rockwell added in his TED Talk: “As engineering has evolved, so has what's practical. There are linear stairs, there are spiral stairs. Stairs can be indoors; they can be outdoors. They clearly help us in an emergency. But they're also a form of art in and of themselves.”
“But they are also a form of art in and of themselves.” This was a statement that struck a chord with me. I believe that stairs add enormous drama to a space. It in itself is a journey and a visual experience
In these two pictures, the fire exit is a practical aspect of the building.
Whereas, the picture on the right serves both an aesthetic as well as functional aspect for the building.
Staircases have always been prevalent in human society, being first conceptualized within nature itself. I’m not really talking about wooden, rustic-looking stairs, or even steps carved into the faces of cliffs or stone. I’m talking about nature making her own stairs. Like the giant’s causeway in Ireland.
It is easy to see how stairs are a highly intuitive design, being drawn from the formations of the natural world and the inherent ability of human beings to climb.
As we move across a stairway, the form dictates our pacing, our feeling, our safety and our relationship and engagement with the space around us.
Like we see in the staircase of the Great Ziggurat of Ur, the sheer grandeur of these structures speaks to something primitive in all of us - the upward draw of the eye is an age-old technique used to invoke feelings of smallness in the observer, feelings that one is about to embark on some kind of endeavor or journey, and feelings of connectivity with something higher.
There are so many spaces where stairs act as a point of gathering, I think they fill a deeply human need we have to inhabit a space more than just on the ground plane. It's fascinating to see people wanting to hang out on the stairs. Like the essential age old otlas found in pols. Or as seen at the CEPT university where the stairs don’t just act as a means to climb but also serve as space where people can sit and communicate.
The stair can be the spine of the structure. As seen in the Fau-Usp the ramps act as the main element that, the main string that connects the whole building without which the structure is just an empty cuboid. Even in the Guggenheim museum, New York, with the ramps the structure is an empty curve.
On the other hand, staircases have also served as a symbolism which will connect people to heaven. Some of the earliest staircases, like the pyramids in Chichén Itzá or the roads to Mount Tai in China, were a means of getting to a higher elevation, which people sought for worship or for protection.Even the 18 steps at Sabrimala signify the belief of a stairway to heaven. The 18 steps have considerable religious significance. Devotees believe that ascending these steps helps detach them from worldly desires, mentally and physically.
So in conclusion, Does a staircase deserve such importance throughout architectural history? Is it the fact that they take us from a lower point to a higher point? Or do they symbolize more than what they are? Do they express a story or are mere props which help in movement?
I leave you to be the judge & arbiter because your decision will decide who you are really.
REFERENCES:
The hidden ways stairs shape your life, TED talk by Ar. David Rockwell
PICTURE CREDITS:
crushpixel.com
pinterest.com
wikipedia.com
irishnews.com
archdaily.com
tripadvisor.com
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