Designing with Spiral Stairs
We’ve been featured!
Our spiral stairs in Balmy Palmy and Aquas Perma Solar Firma were recently published in a Wall Street Journal article titled "Homeowners Are Embracing Spiral Staircases, but With a Twist”. Read more about it here.
Why do we love a spiral?
CplusC use spiral stairs when given sites with tight spaces or access difficulties. Far from a new concept, using spiral stairs have long been known to help minimise space used for vertical circulation, and for us enables other spaces of the home to be configured freely. Although we draw inspiration from the past, we often explain to curious clients that our spiral stairs are far from tight, with generous widths and a rise that is very manageable. We recommend shaking off any recollections of those tight, bouncy stairs to attic lofts!
Did you know a conventional straight run stair can take 8-10m2 of floor area, which can be a significant proportion of a home’s footprint, bulky and expensive, especially in those inner city terraces.
Our spiral stairs are often constructed in structural steel and detailed with a minimal, playful touch. Sometimes we inlay hardwood treads to work with the other materials in the home.
See below some of our recently completed projects which integrate spiral stairs. We have a few to share in the near future from our newly completed Holocene House, and have many, many more on the drawing board!
Balmy Palmy
In our Balmy Palmy, a steel spiral stair is positioned at the front of the house, greeting the occupants at the entry following a series of gentle sandstone steps. The bright yellow of the stair lights up the entry in the lush green setting. Its lightness in structure complements the heaviness of the rock outcrop, and perfectly captures the concept of a treetop bungalow for the family to relax.
Welcome to the Jungle House
In Welcome to The Jungle House, CplusC demonstrated how a spiral stair spanning three floors can be integrated with nature even in a tight urban setting. A series of planter boxes were designed and fabricated as parts of the steel spiral stair, creating internal views for people to pause and appreciate the nature while they are taking the stairs. The plants have grown along and climbed the steel balustrade, becoming an integral part of the spiral stair.
Aquas Perma Solar Firma
The spiral stair in our Aquas Perma Solar Firma is another example of integrating landscape into an efficient design. In an inner city terrace, floor area was a premium so we pushed out the front facade for the timber wrapped stair shaft, so the house had more functional space, keeping the courtyard open to bring light in.
The majority of spiral stair hovers on top of an internal garden, as if people are walking in the nature. The lightweight treads transform into three robust timber landings with joinery storage as it descends to the ground floor, making the spiral stair both useful and playful.
Iron Maiden House
To squeeze every last bit out of our spiral stair at the Iron Maiden House, we wrapped it with an entry bench and bookshelves to feature the family’s art and top reads. If you look closely, you’ll see a pop out window on the lower treads, so the kids can flick through their books in a nice reading nook with a nice view, light and breeze..
Skyspace House
Creating an addition to an existing home in Castlecrag, the Skyspace House dealt with its fair share of challenges on a BAL-FZ site and steep, bushy terrain. The spiral stair created a new connection to the deck, lightly providing access for the family.
House of Parts
A wide, curved stair at our House of Parts worked with the round dining space as the centrepoint of the home and provides a splendid connection from the lower ground and then again along the pool, curved glass and to the upstairs bedrooms.
Stay tuned for more from our team.
