People raising money for charity by climbing the stairs of the CN Tower used to be able to watch as downtown Toronto dwindled to toy-city size.
But the fundraising climbs eventually switched to an interior stairwell, monotonous and institutional. The fact that these have become the norm in today’s buildings is a sign of how far stairs have fallen from their glory days.
At one time, grand staircases were a focal point of design, ushering people from the ground floor in lofty style. In many current structures, though, stairwells are designed as fire escapes rather than as places for regular use. They’re more likely to be unpleasant rather than striking, and rarely feel inviting.
“They’re not really happy places usually and you’re not sure what’s living in it,” said Nadine Purdey, a Halifax student at the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design, whose class set out to redesign the stairwell experience. “We’re trying to find low-cost ways to change that.”
The project – a collaboration of the students and the province’s Heart and Stroke Foundation, which hopes to promote activity – taps into a trend that has seen a greater focus on stairs in everything from glamorous public buildings to retail spaces.
“I think it’s on the cusp and a lot of people are starting to think about stairwells again,” said instructor Glen Hougan, NSCAD assistant professor in the division of design. He’s also the school’s Sun Life Financial chair in design for health and aging.
Examples from star architects include the new opera house in Toronto, in which architect Jack Diamond included a stunning staircase. At the Reichstag in Berlin, the elevator goes only to the base of Norman Foster’s glass dome. From there, visitors walk up ramps that wind dramatically around the interior of the 1999 addition.
The new Manhattan building of The New York Times uses coveted corner-office space for open staircases aimed at facilitating staff communication and saving energy. And a standard design in multilevel Mountain Equipment Co-op stores has been to place stairs in a central spot while tucking away the elevators.
Noel Fowler, architect of the Halifax MEC store and the forthcoming local convention centre, said that staircases have strong resonance because of their deep-rooted connotations. He noted the historical building trend of having the piano nobile (the noble floor) raised above ground level.
“Somehow, in an earlier time, going from the ground up to something was ceremonial and good,” he said, adding that stairs have practical value as well. “In a … two-storey building it’s a great way to encourage people to exercise and not use elevators.”
The NSCAD project looks to apply some of this thinking to the retrofitting of existing stairwells.
Through their research, the students heard the usual litany of complaints: Stairwells are dirty, ugly, hard to find, dangerously isolated. The students also encountered a lot of indifference.
“There’s nothing wrong with it but there’s nothing good about it,” was how NSCAD student Hannah Brown characterized many responses.
But the students also sensed an undercurrent suggesting workers were ready to be persuaded they should be using the stairs.
“People felt ‘oh, I should be doing it,’ ” Mr. Hougan said. “If you make it more attractive and a better experience, will more people use them? We don’t know but we think so.”
So his class set to work designing a better option. Their ideas – inexpensive improvements incorporating aromatherapy and plants, natural light and fun – were unveiled Tuesday at the school.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation plans to promote the best ideas to businesses as a way they can help their people be more active.
Fran Dunn, physical activity co-ordinator at the foundation, said studies show that whatever employers put into helping their staff be more fit is paid back several times over in increased productivity, reduced sick time and better mental health.
“We’re trying to ignite a culture shift,” she said. “[Climbing stairs is] such a simple thing to do and it’s so accessible at work.”
Greenery, aromatherapy provide welcoming touches in stairwells
This is one of the ideas presented Tuesday:
The planters in this design are a welcome living touch. But they’re not just a bit of greenery in what is usually a sterile environment. The group creating this model – Khadijah Baeisa, Katrina Leah Bautista, Katie Hall and Brian Jeffcock – thought they would help boost comfort levels.
“When you see plants, you think someone must be coming in here to take care of them,” Ms. Bautista explained. “It’s not deserted.”
The design is full of this sort of restrained touch, trying in a bunch of small ways to influence people. Aromatherapy will have a subtle effect. The pattern on the wall is meant to engage the right side of the brain. The floors are covered in non-slip coating and having objects in the corners is designed to draw people out of the habit of rushing tight around the inside curve of the stairs.
The overall goal is to make the place a welcoming spot to which people can retire for a quick break. That way, the physical activity becomes a byproduct instead of a duty.
“Exercise shouldn’t be another thing on the to-do list,” Ms. Bautista said.
