Staircases

Much of the drama in this project involved the creation of slender staircases between vertiginous walls. However, the whole building needed to have its weight kept to a minimum and so the walls to each side of the staircases were built with a steel frame and then structural studwork. The cavities were filled with acoustic insulation to dampen the reverberation and the framework was then clad in marine ply followed by multiple layers of plasterboard. The primary staircase rises from ground floor to third floor in one long ascent, broken only by half landings and floor landings.

The additional staircases within the building were then placed adjacent partitions to create dramatic slices through the spaces, with the structural side walls being approximately 10 metres high against the stair width of 900mm. Each stair was prefabricated in steel before being brought to site and erected, with precision finishes applied in situ.