Designing a staircase for a new build property

Architects are the main creative force behind most building projects, and if your thinking of building a home, whether its for you or for someone else, its important to get a good one. The reason for this being, that they are the ones who get the ball rolling for all the other elements of the job, they design and shape the property, which makes there role crucial. If an architect gets his/her job wrong you could end up with a whole host of problems which prevent you from having the home you wished for.

One of parts of an architects job, and something that they very often get wrong (or at least could improve on) is making sure that there is ample space for the staircase that there client wishes to have. Designing a stair well is a difficult job, there needs to be enough room to fit the staircase so that it complies to all of the regulations, doesn’t obstruct neighboring doorways and also fits correctly with in the space taking into account the flow of the room as well as the position of all of the windows. After the parted are all said and done there is little time spent on making sure that they can get a staircase that aesthetically meets there clients needs.

Too many times we have been asked to design a staircase for a client that is grand and elegant, whilst still fitting into the space that they have available. This more often than not is difficult as the shape of the property has already dictated the shape of the staircase and you either end up not getting the staircase you want, or you end up with a staircase that doesn’t look right tin the room.

Before designing a new property their client/architect should always make sure that these questions are answered.
• Is the staircase going to be modern or traditional? This is relevant as a traditional staircase is usually biggest and more ornate, with more planning being necessary to accommodate the stairs. Whereas a modern staircase, being more minimal and discrete will fit into a more enclosed shape.

• Does the staircase need to be the focal point of the room? A client may want their staircase to be the center of a large room, or instead be tucked away in the corner. This is an important question as if the house is designed for one it is very difficult to switch

• Where do you want the stairs to be in relation to the rest of the house? This seams to be an obvious one, however the flow of the house is important, especially when moving between floors. Accessing what rooms or spaces you want off the main rooms in the house can make a big change to the house and the stairs.

Lastly, the most important thing to note is that once the designs of the house are finalized, any future changes need to be gone over carefully. Making decision to move or change parts of the house can effect the way in which your stairs need to be shaped, causing a redesign of the stairs which may impede the original design and aesthetic.