This maple-veneered staircase twists and turns between the floors of an Olympic Museum in Georgia refurbished by UK and Georgia firm Architects of Invention.
The architects created openings in the interior walls of the four-storey building to connect the new staircase with exhibitions and other rooms on the upper levels.
A new reception desk was also added as part of the renovation, which features a large fissure that makes it look like it’s been sawn in two.
Other projects we've featured in Georgia include a knobbly observation tower and a new international airport.
You can also see more stories about staircases here.
Photography is by Nakanimamasakhlisi Photo Lab, Nika Mdivani and I. Kopocova.
The text below was written by Architects of Invention:
National Olympic Commettee House Tbilisi, Georgia 2011
This work represents the idea of dynamics in sport with the abstract compositions of the staircase and the reception table.
The first object you encounter is the introverted desk with its never-ending fissure, and then you meet the extroverted staircase - like the open path to Olympus, where the summit meets its own reflection, inferring that striving never ends, that there is no limit to human achievement.
The building was built at the end of the XIX century for a private investor and it was later used as the residence of one of the leaders of the Communist party.
Later it was renovated in the 1960's for government purposes and remained untouched until this year.
The structure was reinforced at the basement level which allowed us to make significant openings in the walls of the upper stories and place the staircase so it shifted from one space to another thus penetrating the structure.
The staircase was constructed on a steel base with MDF panels and it was finished with maple veneer. The steps and the side railings were made from the same wood.
The staircase was completed in three months.
Project - Office Building Interior
Status - Completed
Location - 22 Machabeli str. Tbilisi, Georgia
Program - Olympic Museum, Geonoch Offices
Building Area - 3000m2
Budget - 1m USD
Credits: Niko Japaridze, Gogiko Sakvarelidze, Nika Maisuradze, Dato Tsanava, Viliana Guliashvili, Ivane Ksnelashvili, David Dolidze, Soso Eliava, Devi Kituashvili PM, Eka Japaridze
Huge respect to the craftsman who made that staircase reality
That is a truly amazing staircase, it must be steel clad in timber, i can see no other way it would have been constructed.
that's refreshed my thinking on stairs. lovely workmanship
beautifully designed and built
Fun House design. What WERE they thinking.
Brilliant stairs, beautifully designed and perfectly executed. But seriously, dezeen, half of these photos are redundant. The underside is beautiful, yes, but let's see some shots of the treads or how the bannister meets the wall or something.
hmmm…where have I seen this before?
http://www.designboom.com/contemporary/art_galler…
Huge rip off of Frank Gerry's -"Transformation AGO" @ Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.
http://www.ago.net/transformation-ago-new-buildin…
Pencil paring stair, gorgeous!
Beautiful piece of craftsmanship and imagination. What most architects hide and is hidden in many commercial buildings becomes front and center as art and circulation. The solution encourages use of the stairs and physical activity rather than hopping onto an elevation – although I don’t see one in the plan. Very cool.
These guys are definately the staircase ninjas! love the way it snakes about the building trying to find its way up
Too many photos from the bottom.
Not one single photo from the top :-/
i cant help but think about all of the pens and other objects i'd end up dropping into the "never-ending fissure" in the desk.
great stair! looks like an intestine!