Category: Stairs and Elevators

Dead loads to be considered for staircase design comprise of self-weight of the waist slab, treads and risers, and self-weight of finishes. Finishes include hand rail, balusters and newel post.

The following provisions are to be adopted as per IS: 456–2000 in the design of staircases.

Plain concrete stairs are used in place of stone stairs these days. They are mostly used for the entrance to the buildings. These steps are mostly of spandril type and are supported as in the case of stone stairs. Now-a-days, RCC stairs are mostly used in all types of buildings. Reinforced concrete stairs derive a…

Steel stairs are of special type which are fire resistant and are preferred in factories, workshops, godowns, etc. These are made of pre-stressed sheet steel. The steel sheets are formed into risers or pans to which the treads are inserted. The treads and risers are supported on angles which are in turn connected to the…

Brick stairs may be of solid masonry construction or provided with arches in the lower portion. When arches are provided, the total masonry work is reduced. This space may be used as a cupboard or as a passage. Here the treads and risers are generally made equal to length of  bricks and height of two layers…

Stone stairs are heavy and need substantial supports. They are preferred for outside stairs and for threshold, approach to basements, heating chambers, etc. Due to regular use, the steps become slippery and dangerous. Stones are in general hard, durable and weather resistant. They are widely used at places where ashlar stones are readily available. Different…

Timber or wooden stairs are generally used for residential buildings because of its light weight and less usage. Further, this is preferred in areas where abundant wood is available. They are easy to construct and maintain. But they are liable to fire accidents. Timber should be free of fungal decay, insect attacks and other defects.…

Timber, stone, brick, steel, plain concrete and reinforced cement concrete (RCC) are in general the materials used for construction of stairs. They are accordingly classified based on the type of material used for construction.

It is an open-well type of stair which has four flights each with flight turn of 90°. It has an excellent view in a building (Fig. 21.8). Figure 21.8 Multiple flight stairs

In these stairs, the bottom flight is wide which is divided into narrow flights from either side of the landing (Fig. 21.7). This type of stair is provided in modern public buildings. Figure 21.7 Bifurcated staircase