U Step לייטער

Press Kit

Unique Properties

This project is about how a staircase is formed rather than its design. The staircase is formed by interlocking two u-shaped square box profile pieces having different dimensions. Through this formation, the staircase can support its weight and a side anchor wall is not needed below certain dimensions.

Dimensions & Packaging

Tread: 30cm width, 120cm length and 3cm thickness (for wood),
Riser Height: 16cm,
Stair stinger: 5cmx5cm (steel square box profile).

Tags

Stair, staircase, interlock, modular, self-support

Production Technology

Stair stringer will be made of steel square box profiles and treads of wood. Glass, aluminum or other metals like mesh can be used for tread as well.

Design Challenge

The challenge at the beginning of every design is to find the one that is not found.

Research

Stairs of various designs and applications are investigated during the design phase of the project. It has been observed that most of the time a stair needs on-site production due to structural constraints and in order to ensure that the staircase will fit and function as desired. This results in loss of time. The project aims to minimize the time loss by a design that is made up of modular parts that can be manufactured in advance, and thus, assembly is the only process required on site.

Inspiration

The project focuses on the scarcity of resources, and hence, aims to minimize the amount of parts to use as well as other valuable resources such as cost, energy and time needed during packaging and transportation. To this end, a simple and lucid design is sought for. Having a modular design, it allows different forms, dimensions, colors and materials to be used in making a staircase. With such flexibility, the design provides a wide variety to meet different space requirements and demands.

Project Duration

The project started in December 2017 and ended in February 2018.

Operation Flow

The object is a self-supporting staircase that requires fixing only to the ceiling and the floor. Several U-shaped profiles of different sizes are interlocked to form the stair. Self-support is achieved by alternating the interlocking of the u-shaped pieces in horizontal and vertical arrangement. Components of the stair are made out of flat and small parts as a result of which transport and on-site installation are simplified.