The Pros and Cons of Design: Choosing the Right Stair for Your Space

A staircase is one of the most integral parts of a multi-level structure. Even with mechanical innovations, like escalators and elevators, the architectural design of a staircase elevates the space’s aesthetic appeal. These days, many property owners are choosing avant-garde designs to make their staircase the centrepiece of the building. But some designs aren’t practical for use.

Choose a staircase design that is visually pleasing and fully functional. Take into consideration the space, the people who frequent it and how the stair will affect your building’s usability. Ackworth House’s stair designing services includes a step-by-step process that helps you choose the right stair design for your property.

Popular Staircase Designs to Consider

Modern staircases, no matter how artistic, use traditional designs as their basis. Consider these popular types of staircases and decide whether or not they suit your structural needs. Weigh these designs’ pros and cons to determine which stair is the best option for your property.

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Straight Stair

A straight stair design is one of the most common types of staircases. It is popularly used in both residential and commercial properties for its simple and cost-effective design.

Pros:

• It is cheaper to construct and takes less time to complete.
• Its simplicity lets you experiment with different materials for its treads, risers and balustrades.
• It doesn’t have visual obstructions which improve visibility for the people using it.

Cons:

• Its continuous steps and lack of a landing make it sometimes uninspired.
• It takes up a significant amount of floor space because of its slope.

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Helical Stair

A helical staircase is a good example of architectural stair design. Although traditionally seen in residential properties, more commercial properties are making use of this spatially efficient design.

Pros:

• It has better spatial efficiency than most staircase designs.
• It is highly versatile and can be designed to match your property’s architecture or stand out completely.

Cons:

• Its steps’ continuous change of direction makes it can make it disorienting for some.
• It unique and complex design is more expensive to build and takes longer to complete.

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Floating Stair

A floating staircase is an innovative design that is aesthetically pleasing and fully functional. New building techniques have made it possible to install this design along a wall or in the middle of the room.

Pros:

• Its floating design gives it a clean and minimalist look that is visually appealing.
• Its ability to forego support gives you more useable space underneath its steps.

Cons:

• There are more engineering costs involved to make sure it is structurally safe.

Work with Ackworth House

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Ackworth House is your partner in designing and building beautiful and functional stairs. We have a team of skilled craftsmen who are trained to create bespoke staircases. Our comprehensive process allows us to determine the right design solutions for your needs.

Find out more about our services when you call 0800 ACKWORTH (225 967) or email sales@ackworthhouse.co.nz.

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