A spectacular staircase can transform even the most average building, and this year we've seen them in a huge variety of materials and sizes. Dezeen editor Anna Winston chooses 10 of the best from 2015. More about Dezeen's top 10 staircases of 2015
A sculptural staircase made from slender steel rods connects the living spaces of this Bulgarian residence with an attic workplace used as a dressmaking studio (+ slideshow). More about DontDIY installs black wireframe staircase inside house and atelier in Sofia
Behind a simple concrete exterior, this house by Japanese architect Tsubasa Iwahashi contains a complex arrangement of rooms connected by three different kinds of staircase (+ slideshow). More about Tsubasa Iwahashi completes Hyōgo house containing three types of staircase
Beijing-based Arch Studio has renovated this house in the city's Dongcheng district, adding a perforated-steel staircase designed to make climbing to the top feel like "walking into the sky". More about Arch Studio adds sculptural white staircase and glass roof extension to Beijing house
A multi-directional black staircase bridges the main entrance space in this converted office building in Belgium (+ slideshow). More about Steven Vandenborre adds cross-shaped staircase to an industrial office conversion
A staircase suspended behind a screen of steel rods and welded shelves features inside this house in Tel Aviv, which architect David Lebenthal designed for himself and his family (+ slideshow). More about David Lebenthal's Tel Aviv townhouse features a staircase with shelves stuck to its steel balustrade
French studios Caractère Spécial and Parisian studio NP2F Architectes have expanded the home of a circus arts centre in France's Champagne region and added a curving outdoor staircase (+ slideshow). More about Curving concrete staircase protrudes from warehouse-like circus school in France
London studio RA Projects has reconfigured and refurbished a house owned by fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic, adding a blue steel staircase in the centre designed to look "like a sculpture in a gallery" (+ slideshow). More about RA Projects inserts blue steel staircase into London house for Roksanda Ilincic
Contemporary design and fabrication processes were used to produce a staircase with "wing-shaped" folded steel treads at the heart of this renovated New York City apartment (+ slideshow). More about Incorporated adds cantilevered steel and glass staircase to a New York apartment
London firm Timothy Hatton Architects has added a burnished steel staircase to rug designer Deirdre Dyson's Chelsea carpet gallery as part of a renovation of her studio. More about Timothy Hatton Architects designs floating steel staircase for Deirdre Dyson gallery
A concrete staircase with no balustrade ascends through this minimal house in the Valencia region of Spain, which was added to a converted factory containing the headquarters of an outdoor furniture company (+ slideshow). More about Borja Garcia Architects adds a minimal residence to a former textiles factory
Glass walls and simple furnishings are paired with pale surfaces to give this Bloomsbury renovation by London studio Stiff + Trevillion a minimal aesthetic (+ slideshow). More about Stiff + Trevillion updates Bloomsbury mews house with gridded glazing and double-height bookcase
Tamir Addadi Architecture has converted the loft of a north London house, adding a staircase that also serves as a spacious bookcase (+ slideshow). More about Staircase doubles as a bookcase in London loft conversion by Tamir Addadi Architecture
Huge steel beams with I-shaped profiles were stacked to form the framework of this Tokyo house by Mount Fuji Architects Studio, which features a red spiral staircase winding between its floors (+ slideshow). More about Log Rhythm house revives old Japanese building technique using steel beams instead of wood
This staircase inserted into a terraced house in London features alternating treads that make the most of a tight space, and perforated steel surfaces that allow light to filter through. More about DBLO Associates adds perforated steel staircase to refurbished London home
Architect Raúl Sánchez has converted the vaulted basement of a Barcelona house into a subterranean apartment, with rooms separated by a curving pine partition (+ slideshow). More about Circular pine wall creates rooms in vaulted basement home by Raúl Sánchez
Yoon Space Design has completed a gallery dedicated to the work of South Korean potter Jung Gil-Young, featuring mirrored walls that help camouflage the building against its countryside setting (+ slideshow). More about Gallery for ceramic artist Jung Gil-Young is camouflaged behind mirrored walls
Shipping containers are often repurposed to create buildings, and this structure by Tel Aviv studio Potash Architects features one container balanced at a precarious angle (+ slideshow). More about Angled shipping container houses a staircase for Israeli port office by Potash Architects
Hidden behind a bookcase in a secret room, a fireman's pole offers a fast escape route from the top floor of this Berlin home by local studio NOWlab (+ slideshow). More about Berlin apartment by NOWlab features a spiral staircase and a fireman's pole
A plywood bar that transitions into a staircase forms the centre of this office and networking hub housed in the Dutch city of Delft's former technology museum (+ slideshow). More about Ateliers transforms old technology museum in Delft into flexible open-plan office