Italian studio Disguincio & Co has produced a concept for a spiral staircase with steps made from folds of fibreglass.
The Folio Staircase by Pordenone-based practice Disguincio & Co would comprise a repeated sequence of steps that slot into each other to make a spiral staircase.
Each step is flexible and relatively weak, but when pieced together the whole staircase would become stable and robust, says designer Mirk Daneluzzo.
The steps would be made from fibreglass reinforced with carbon fibre strips, although Daneluzzo hopes to utilise other materials in the future. "We are actually doing research to select environmentally sustainable solutions to have a natural fibre and bio-polymer-matrix composite," he told Dezeen.
For the moment there is no working prototype of the staircase, only a small model. "We are working to make it as soon as possible, in collaboration with some producers," added Daneluzzo.
We recently featured another concept for a spiral staircase using a single repeated element, this time based on a whale's backbone.
Other staircases we've published lately include flights of stairs floating in mid-air by artists Lang/Baumann and a ladder-like wireframe staircase leading to a mezzanine bedroom – see all staircases.
Genius!
Before researching for sustainable materials to be used here, please prioritise addressing the safety of the user. Nothing to hold onto, especially when the user is going around in a circle.
Safety is a big chunk of function. In this case, form is placed well ahead of function. Nevertheless, it looks pretty in theory.
Forget about safety – this is a beautiful object, designed for beauty, built for beauty. Let’s leave it at that and celebrate it.
I'm actually tempted to consider this as a pretty storage system.
Safety should always be considered as part of the function and end result. Yes it looks great, but this house would limit who lives there because small children could not be expected to carefully navigate these types of staircases. If it was a piece of sculpture and not a functional means of movement from floor to floor, we would not be exchanging these words.
Incredible staircase for a sanatorium!
Sadly, you’d never get it past building regs!
Very interesting concept. Worried about how springy it would be when you climb it. Hope they build an operational prototype :)
Looks like an old prototype of my DNA staircase before anyone thought of safety.
Maybe you should have stuck with the prototype then, as this looks more sophisticated.
I prefer this one personally. Didn’t they have repeating single-piece staircases way back in the day anyway?
From an engineering point of view this would absolutely fail (both the material and the structural system). It is simply a formal excercise with no thought to function or usability.
I totally embrace computational design thinking in the creative disciplines, but when applied to architecture careful consideration of material properties and structural stability should be included in any study, no matter how experimental. This way the profession may truly advance and take advantage of new technologies. A Maxwell render is not going to make it any more real.
Neat!
I wish I had of thought of this!
Like a deformed spine. It’s horrible.
Now, this is well thought-out in terms of an integrated design and fabrication approach.
http://arcinspiration.tumblr.com/post/7755505068/…
“you can’t have a little grace; either you have grace or you don’t have grace.” – Seinfeld. This would require much grace.