I don’t know if it is apocryphal, but I’ve been told that many medieval castles had staircases that were intentionally irregular because that caused invaders to stumble, making them more vulnerable. Maybe the modern version is an alternative to a security system?
2 Likes
Somewhere or other, I was told castle spiral stairs go clockwise up so that a right handed swordsman up the stair (presumed defender) had an advantage over a right handed swordsman coming up the stair from below (presumed attacker). That’s not in any modern stair design manual.
1 Like
2 Likes
The tension on those cables necessary to prevent that 4" ball from passing through has to be close to the point of inducing failure in either the cables or their supports. If the risers are typical (~7 inches), then the treads would need to be 3" thick to meet code. Looks to me as though a good-sized cantaloupe could pass through that “little triangular area”. Nevertheless, the appearance of that stairway is eye candy. I’m interested to learn the subject of @jimhami42’s novel.
Hello,
The example of the stair with no handrail is not acceptable in respect to the safety of the users.
Although it appears sometimes in domestic houses the inhabitants are not aware of the risks and should be warned.
In Belgium there is a standard on Balconies and stairs since 2011 -revised in 2017 nr NBN B03-004.
I need a 50-carat synthetic diamond in order to open a portal to the fourth dimension.
The stairway is just something I happened to come across while looking for a fictitious name for the company that makes the diamonds.
All I can say is “Budget Blown!” 
What this thing has in common with many other stair designs is the feckless mindset of the designer.
One who describes himself as both an Architect and Design Educator.
Templer would not be impressed…
Templer_1993 Smithsonian.pdf (3.9 MB)
1 Like