Beautifully Dangerous (Dangerously Beautiful?) Staircase by Jordi Vayreda

Jordi Vayreda of Spanish design studio Jordivayreda Projectteam created this floating staircase for a client's home that looks awesome, but a little bit too dangerous for klutzy old me!

Link - via Apartment Therapy

Previously on Neatorama: Awesome Floating Staircases

Update 5/15/08: Jordi Vayreda told us the secret of his floating staircase (excuse the English, this is verbatim from Jordi's email - but I think you get the idea):

Because of the huge number of comments around the world about my floating staircase design I explain the mystery which people want to know.

First of all, this stairs goes to a small maintenance loft zone for climatic systems, there is another type of staircase to go to the bedroom zone. I design this type of staircase thinking in a sculptural solution because it is situated in front of the principal entrance of the house and we don’t want a collapsible staircase which some designers use for zones with difficult entries, we want something different.

This loft zone it’s 2,40 m height and combines wall and glass wall. Is there, between these two types of walls where I’ve done a width change that people can use like a handrail. It is not appreciated in a front view but you can notice it in a side view. This camouflage handrail will see you to the 1,20 m height which corresponds to the half of the staircase.

Steel is the material which we use to construct the staircases, 100 mm thick and each of them is welded to a 250 mm thick beam. The secret is putting reinforcements to prevent the inertias that can be generated and another one is lean the beam on two walls: the front wall and the lateral.

The staircase is 65 cm wide and it can support 200k, consequently we get the minimal flexion. To obtain the minimal vibrations too, we line the lateral walls with a carton plaster plaque.

This is the result of my floating staircase design.


More photos - Thanks Jordi!


There are other photos on the site which look much more realistic. The photo shown here does look like it was altered in some way.

Just thinking of a staircase like that gives me the willies!
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No, this is not Photoshop. This design has actually been implemented in houses here in Malaysia, and they work well, though the no-grabrails part is a bit risky.
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The front stair is only blurry because the focus is not in the foreground...

and yes, of course it's possible! You don't know what's on the other side of that wall. For all you know only half of the board might be visible and the other half might be securely attached - I doubt that it was something as simple as nails.
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And with a white wall..?!?

Can only imagine all the 'fearful' hand prints as cautious/scared users try to hang on for their dear life..!!

It would indeed seem the stairs could be anchored securely 'behind' the wall...

Nice share.

...tom...
.
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The support structure would be easy enough to hide in the wall; it's the thinness of the stair treads that interests me. I can't imagine solid wood, or even (most?) solid metals would work. The rigidity required to not bend if the outer edge of the stair is stepped on would most likely only be obtainable with some kind of honeycomb or triangular tube substructure... wonder how they did it...
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Ive seen a spiral staircase similar to this but instead of a wall the steps were attached to a pillar and spiraled up it. I was too weary to go all the way up but it held perfect for the few steps I did take
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I believe that cool though it is, that'd be illegal in the UK. I seem to recall all new builds must exhibit hand rails on at least one side and a balustrade on any exposed shafts.
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it would appear that the stair rizers are no wider than the chair in the back ground. so i'd say 1.5 feet max. i imagine a solid piece of steel protruding from a wall where it is welded to an even larger steel plate would be suffecient to hold quite a few pounds.

still, not in my house. I'm not taking that stair in the dark.
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My grandfather’s house had a staircase just like that, although the steps were solid oak (and much thicker than the ones on the post), and the secret for its stability is that the steps are affixed to a brick wall and have a complex set of metal anchors inside the wall, it’s not as scary as it sounds, you just have to avoid climbing it while drunk.
The staircase i’m describing is also quite resistant, as we moved my grandfather’s turn-of-the-century, solid wood desk and the steps did not buckle or crack, even after 50 years of being there.
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WE ARE THE OWNERS OF THIS HOUSE. WE LIKE IT, IT ISN'T AS DANGEROUS AS IT LOOKS, AND IT LEADS TO A ROOM WITH LOTS OF WINE BOTTLES. WHEN WE RUN OUT OF WINE IN TE MIDDLE OF DINNER, WE HAVE TO GO UP THE STAIR FOR ANOTHER BOTTLE, THEN IT IS A BIT "DANGEROUS". YOU CAN ALL COME AND TRY THE STAIR AND THE WINE. OUR FRIEND JORDI HAD A GREAT IDEA.
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I think this has been excellently executed. so what if there are no handrails. sure it won't pass building codes in many countries but its a great deterrent for keeping kids and others out of your loft. ;)

looking at how its attached to the steel beams inside the wall, those steps aren't going anywhere. it's simple physics really.

and don't knock minimalism people. judging by how many of you people have thought this was photoshopped or completely not usable i believe the architect has achieved his goal: maximum shock value while hiding all the effort.

great job!!!
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Aea, the photograph was taken with a wide lens aperture, which is often necessary in indoor situations to let in as much natural light as possible to the camera. The drawback is that the area of focus is highly selective, and you lose sharpness on areas of the image that lie outside of this singular plane of focus. So, anything further away from the focus plane or anything closer to the camera from the focus plane will go slightly out of focus. Its the same effect you see on professional portraits where the background is fuzzy. Had the picture been taken from the side view of the staircase, all steps would be equally in focus because they would all have lain on the same focus plane. Hope that quells any suspicions that the image is "Photoshop'd".
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Reading these comments makes me lose faith in humanity. Have any of you seen or felt 1/2" or 3/8" steel plate? Let alone 3/4" steel plate. Steel at that thickness could hold any human weight distributed anywhere on the plane of the stair. The anchor system would just have to be a metal beam in the wall where the stairs can be welded on. Seriously people. Just because you're not smart enough to understand it doesn't mean it's impossible!!

Manel and Anna, if this truly is your house...congratulations...it's gorgeous!!
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READ the article before commenting. DRUNKS? All stairs are dangerous when you're drunk! Cantivered thick steel plates welded to angled steel beam with additional steel stiffeners WAY stronger than your flimsy standard plywood stairs. THE DANGER is what keeps you safe. Mentally you will naturally slow down, walk on the wall side away from edge. KIDS fall down normal stairs all the time even will code required handrails / guardrails. BEAUTIFUL feat of art & science in one.
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I detail stair systems for a steel fabricator and that stair is sound from what I saw and read. Building codes in residences are totally different from commercial buildings and that stair would be allowed. The handrail needs to be there for pure safety and I am sure one will be installed (sooner rather then later). But all in all, it is unique and I really think that was what was intended.
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5 Seconds of google research supports that this is true, don't know why there were so many people doubting it.... Harness the power of the internet and research before you post....
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Everyone asking the weight limits and talking about the no handrail crap needs to learn to READ THE ARTICLE before posting, he clearly states the weight limit (200k) and that there is a camouflage handrail to lead you halfway down.
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anyone with a little bit sense of mechanics will know that this is easily possible.

Everyone who thinks it isn't and is calling this photoshop is just another one who is better in law or farmership then engineering. Just keep it that way, and don't bother mechanics. Don't even bother discussing about the mechanics of such a stairs.
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Beautiful design, but that's it. No person in his or her right mind would use stairs like that on a daily basis in their home. Yes, it looks more dangerous than it is, with the "hidden handrail wall", but it's still fucking dangerous. Ever slipped on "normal" stairs? Imagine what happens on this thing, halfway down. That's potentially lethal. Not to speak of kids, elderly or disabled people. Accidents are bound to happen with this thing.
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