Bell Phillips installs folded steel staircase inside London home
A folded steel staircase runs alongside an exposed brick wall to connect the two levels of this east London flat by architecture studio Bell Phillips.
![Lansdowne Drive staircase by Bell Phillips Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Lansdowne-Drive-staircase-by-Bell-Phillips-Architects_dezeen_936_6.jpg)
Located in Hackney, the home is one of several created through the conversion of a Victorian school building characterised by walls of yellow-hued London stock brick.
![Lansdowne Drive staircase by Bell Phillips Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Lansdowne-Drive-staircase-by-Bell-Phillips-Architects_dezeen_936_4.jpg)
South London-based Bell Phillips – whose recent projects include a park inside a converted Victorian gas holder – demolished a former staircase that once ran parallel with the apartment's mezzanine level.
![Lansdowne Drive staircase by Bell Phillips Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Lansdowne-Drive-staircase-by-Bell-Phillips-Architects_dezeen_936_3.jpg)
The team replaced it with a new stair constructed from a six-millimetre-thick sheet of steel that was folded and welded before being finished with a coating of atomised brass.
This is positioned at the far end of the living area, alongside one of the exposed brick walls.
![Lansdowne Drive staircase by Bell Phillips Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Lansdowne-Drive-staircase-by-Bell-Phillips-Architects_dezeen_936_7.jpg)
"The minimal slimline design of the stair increases the sense of space whilst adding a focal point to the living area," said the architects.
"The delicacy of the folded plate steel stair has been designed as a counterpoint to the exposed brick walls of the existing building."
![Lansdowne Drive staircase by Bell Phillips Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Lansdowne-Drive-staircase-by-Bell-Phillips-Architects_dezeen_936_8.jpg)
"The brass finish gives a tonal warmth and depth of finish to the stair that compliments the colour and texture of the brick to create a dialogue between the old and new," they added.
![Lansdowne Drive staircase by Bell Phillips Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Lansdowne-Drive-staircase-by-Bell-Phillips-Architects_dezeen_936_9.jpg)
A matching handrail runs alongside the stair, screwed into the brickwork.
Bell Phillips – established in 2004 by Tim Bell and Hari Phillips – also added folded steel steps to a property in south London. A similar staircase also leads up to a mezzanine level in a warehouse conversion by fellow London architect Sadie Snelson.
Project credits:
Architect: Bell Phillips Architects
Structural engineer: Price and Myers
Metal fabricator: Force 5 Engineering
Contractor: Ask Interiors