Stairs without railings violate buidlings codes in most of the US. Still, some are quite beautiful to look at. The one with the cable stays strikes me as a good compromise. -- but the zig-zaggy one looks like a tripping accident just waiting to happen. And then there's the kitchen counter/stairs -- always sure to illicit strong emotions!

This is an enormously useful post - thank you! Too often we are all beguiled by staircase that are impeccably detailed and handsome to behold, but in fact they pose significant dangers or are simply unpleasant or uncomfortable for everyday use. While I'm not suggesting that shallow or low-grade ramps be used instead of stairs, it does seem that designing stairs that embrace a larger segment of the human and pet population approaches more closely the ideal of universal access. It was refreshing to see that AT can look at designs and offer a critique that moves beyond appearance and, like the boy who exclaimed upon seeing the emperor's "new clothes", gets to the heart of the matter.

Right now, I am (nervously) watching my 3 year old playing on just such a staircase in a hotel apartment rental here in Genoa, Italy. They access a loft over the living area in an apartment in a former imperial palace from the 15th century... there is a domed painted ceiling over the living room, about 15 or so feet high (very pretty).

The first time my 3 year old went up the stairs, he cried "Mama, help me!" when he got to the top.

Oh, and they are stone (and thus, a bit slippery).

http://static.booking.com/images/hotel/max300/113/1135017.jpg

my 300lb dad would snap those poor stairs in the first pic in half

No one said that these stairs have to be used, I've seen lots of stairs that are just there for either show or were once used for something but now aren't in older buildings. Not to mention, why not try something different for somewhere that might not be used or accessed often, like a loft or an attic?

I'm also sure a lot of other people have seen this before too but if you think that's scary look at this then:-
http://gizmodo.com/5386780/if-you-suffer-acrophobia-dont-look-at-this

Also, no one said or expects these stairs to be stairs that you use a lot or enough to be able to be running up or down them and actually be tripping up them.

BluePanties, the main goal of design is to create something beautiful and useful. I don't know why someone would have stairs in a house with no intention to use them. Then they would just be, essentially, shelves.

clampers, you sound as though you've never seen anything that sacrifices some functionality for the sake of an aesthetic, but these things exist everywhere.

From my grandma's pristine living room where chairs were not(!) to be sat upon to this great example from Unhappy Hipsters of a bathroom that utterly lacks privacy, people constantly sacrifice usability for the sake of a look.

Now, I'm not saying that this isn't silly, just that the balance between beauty and usability isn't always equitable.

Believe it or not, I actually wanna climb those stairs!!

They're all either beautiful or interesting. My kitties would love 'em!

"Stairs without railings violate buidlings codes in most of the US."

...yet none of these staircases in the photos above are in the US.

If they aren't going to be used, I can't see anyone actually wanting them for show, even if they are architecturally pleasing. Stairs take up a lot of space and whose going to put up a sign next to them saying "For display purposes only: please do not walk up"? While they look nice, I don't see much purpose.

all of these staircases would be illegal in australia. i dont think you're allowed to have stairs over about 1 metre in height without some sort of railing.

These stairs wouldn't work in my house. I can't count the number of times I've slipped and fallen down the stairs in my home with a glass of wine in hand . . . .

Heaven forbid-- a couple of drinks and then an attempt at one of these staircases (up OR down not sure which would be worse)-- the stuff of nightmares!

Nice from far but as they say, far from nice. :)

No rail, no deal.

As an architecture student I had a chance to visit Zaha Hadid's fire station at the Vitra factory, which utilised this type of open, cantilevered stair. There was a guard rail, but it still felt ridiculously precarious, especially in consideration of the building use - imagine firemen rushing down en route to a fire. It sparked a lively discussion about image vs practicality, refreshing since so often it seemed we were supposed to be inspired by, rather than critical of, the works of the architects we studied. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/2818783983_dbea0998a9.jpg?v=0

This post cracked me up. They are indeed all scary :)

I can see myself tumbling face first down any one of these staircases.

I always thought that urinals would make a wonderful design statement in ladies' bath rooms. I've got it ! How about urinals hung about 6 feet off the floor? Brave idea. Better yet, hang them upside down for target practice.
How about sleak door handles on the hinge side of the door? Cool design idea, huh?
Or elevator button panels without buttons, just nice smooth stainless steel panels?
How about stove tops set into the floor? (Don't worry about cooks with long skirts: Kitchens are no longer intended for preparing food, but rather for showing off the financial status and expensive taste of their owners.)

Any object that sacrifices function in favor of visual impact simply isn't good design at all. These stairs are just the byproduct of self-indulgent wankery by egotistical architects. Architectural spooge, if you will.

As a secondary stair, for a storage loft or for outside it is absolutely fine to have no rail (building requirements permitting). I also like the Roger Tallon Helicoidal spiral stair - a triumph of mid-century design: http://www.notreloft.com/412-un-petit-tour-au-musee/

Oh Jebus - those make my heart race just looking at them in photos! If ever faced with them in real life, I would be the one going up like a 2yo - on my hands and feet!

I don't think there would be such a feeling of danger if some of those staircases had at least one handrail.

Even one handrail gives a touch more stability. After all, we catch ourselves with our hands when we fall. If there's nothing to grab then kaboom!

Friends don't let friends drink and walk on stairs...alone at least.

I'd be worried about bumping my head. I'm always bumping it on something why not the stairs.

so scary, getting vertigo just looking at some of these

A couple of things to bear in mind when looking at "staircases as art":

People who have staircases as artworks (not to be used, staircases to nowhere) typically aren't concerned with the amount of space they take up. My clients certainly aren't. These are people with 2,000 sf. living rooms. No, I'm no exaggerating.

In Europe and Asia, you're far more likely to find staircases and terraces without handrails because their society is far less litigious than ours. Their courts expect people to take more personal responsibility for their actions than American courts do. Did you fall off the 6' balcony and hurt yourself? Then why were you that close to begin with? Use your brain. Did your child hurt him/herself? Why weren't you supervising him/her more closely? That is their thinking. It's one of the reasons the architecture you see in Europe is more daring than American architecture, and why they typically also receive newer building technologies first (less likely to be sued if you take a chance on new technology and there are problems with it).

A couple of the stairs pictured are INCREDIBLY steep: they're more ladders than stairs, really, and so they don't require a handrail, because the handrails are, in essence, the treads/rungs ahead of you.

I think I would be nervous - I'm glad we have building codes in the US that would at least require the handrail to pass inspection. What you do after that is your own business, I guess. I personally would worry more about hurting myself and less about a potential lawsuit.

But you can also get much the same effect with glass risers/solid treads and the kitchen stair could actually be solid with a mirrored side.

I HATE stairs...even if they have a railing, certain staircases freak me out. If they're too steep, too spiral, too slippery, have too short steps, I'm done. These give me total anxiety. I would never live or visit anywhere that has stairs like these.

HAIL NO, I'm already klutzy even if I have a railing to hold onto, which is literally a major reason why I haven't jumped at the opportunity to add a second story to the house (a) I don't really need the extra space and b) it would mean stairs!).

You ain't gonna catch me climbing those stairs , no way, no how. I got to have me some railing to claw on.

Yes they are!!

Stairs without railings, that are smooth, with sharp edges and sharp corners... Absolutely stupid! I don't care how careful you are, these are disasters waiting to happen. I sure hope the people who decide to occupy these spaces don't have young children, cause someone should call D.S.F.S.

I personally find that any design that greatly sacrifices function looses aesthetic beauty, kind of like how a beautiful person looses beauty when their horrible personality reveals itself.

My main example above about having something without actually using it wasn't to create something like that just for show, I meant, coming from somewhere, where houses were a lot of the time hundreds of years old, you would often find stairs and doors and other historical parts of the buildings that were there and kept there for show, that were no longer used, there's more to keeping something the way it is than to be showing off.

Not to mention that not everything has to be done for looks and practicality, some things can actually have a meaning or an interest. I personally find it more "snobbery" as someone put it above, to be someone that follows the trends, colours and ideas that everyone else is saying to give them inspiration, making so many places look the same, I don't know how many times I've seen the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster and print used in pictures before, no offense intended. Even if you created something like this, it wouldn't have to be used often, I wouldn't expect someone to create it for a family that would be going up and down it every day or for older generation that might find it hard to not have something extra for stability or find it hard to keep their balance.

Actually, the stairs in those photos remind me of the bleachers I still see in gymnasiums.

Eeek...

But the photos above are much prettier than the bleachers in the gymnasiums.

how do these things pass building codes?

bluepanties...
are you tevye in the fiddler on the roof singing about how if he were a richman he would build one staircase going up, one going down and one going no where, just for show!?

No, you missed my point intirely, that's what someone thought I meant with my first post and I then tried to make it clear, that it wouldn't make sense to create them just for show, however there are situations when things are kept or done that have no use but are kept for other reasons, such as historical purposes but that's just one thought.

entirely

handrails are often removed for a photo shoot.
just like there is often a designer chair in the corner. its just a set up for the shot.

Besides looking ridiculously scary, to me... I picture the gray stripe on the wall from hands of people using the wall to balance since there isn't a railing...

I don't get it. I don't even get the idea of removing a railing in order to photograph the stairs... makes no sense to me. I'm grateful for our housing codes... like look at the difference between an earthquake in a third-world country and one here in the US... our buildings are safer... never mind going down one of those dumb rail-less staircases in an earthquake. :-)

I'd like to see the place where someone falls and breaks something with these creepy stairs that have no hand-rail - can you saw lawsuit? I highly doubt it matters what country one is in.

My husband helped build a beautifully modern house in our town. The homeowner wanted the look of these stairs but with a safe climb. They installed the stairs against the wall, but then added a glass wall on the other side. The result is stunning. Looks the same - but MUCH safer.

Like others have said, if you have more than four stairs, you must have a railing. Good luck selling these apartments/homes.

@ bluepanties: I thought you were referencing a (gladly) shortlived trend of clients requesting "staircases to nowhere" on which to display artwork, etc... which probably stemmed from staircases boarded up in castles (I hadn't thought of that... learn something new every day).

We had clients coming into our offices, requesting staircases to nowhere because their friend had one, and they were "so 'in' right now." These clients were typically shown the door (we don't do 'in' architecture, since our firm is a more moderate modern) or talked them out of the trendy goop, since it would probably just be ripped out in a few years.

a friend in belgium had stairs like these...definitely a little nerve wracking the first time you encounter them but after the first time i climbed them, I never noticed it again.

her house was amazing, and not a huge palace. Probably 2500ish s.f. but she had a gorgeous floating loft with glass walls, a bathroom with entirely frosted glass skylight/ceiling, and the coolest library. I can't even think of how to describe it but i'll try...it was a room adjacent to a living room but the floor of the library was about 4 ft taller than the floor of the living room. There were little mini stairs that pulled out of the 4 ft wall when you wanted to walk up into the library, but you could also push them in. When they were pushed in, it also made the opening into the library look like a giant picture window.

so cool, and I can't imagine getting away with half of it here!

As a Belgian, I don't see any danger in the stairs of the 2,4,6,7 & 10th picture.

If you're unsure about stability, grab the wall?

It's all a matter of perspective I guess. I'm used to seeing such stairs here and they do not call any scary feelings :)

While our "locational fears" seem to govern us more than the pure admiration of such beauty, it's a wonder we're still in existence, free to move about without a dumb suit on.

I didn't read the previous posts, but I am sure I am not the only one who is wondering about using these stairs after a glass (or two) of wine, lol...

These are full-sized stairs that people actually can walk up and down... they are not drawings or cardboard mockups.

While they look different and shocking (and cool) I am sure after the first few times, these and other new-type stairs would seem normal.

Just look at fire-stairs, bunk-bed stairs, ship stairs, submarine stairs. I bet there were scathing comments like these ones when the first tight metal spiral staircases were built.

Congratulations to architects who give us real working examples that break away from the traditional outlook.

@JohnCanon Very well said, I couldn't have said it better myself and wish there were more posts like this on here, other than the typical "American arts and crafts mom", not that there's nothing wrong with that, its just nice to actually see something different and original.

or rather, anything wrong with that.

Awesome, awesome post. Probably wouldn't want one of these in my own home but I really like the look of these.

Surprisingly enough, some states in the US aren't as strict as to prevent a stair of this design to be constructed. Florida, which is where we are located, is known to have one of the stricted building codes and wouldn't ever permit a stair without a railing. But homeowners install them anyways (without permits of course) and will have to deal with inspectors sooner or later.

Great design ideas tho! Some people may not realize it, but if you add a glass railing (no cap rail), and have a handrail mounted to the wall, it will pass code.
Open risers depend from state to state, but NY allows them.

Thanks for the article!