PEOPLE'S CHOICE

ARCHITECTURAL DETAIL

Entry Name: 1980 House – Stair
Firm: FOUNDarchitects
Owner: Withheld at owner’s request
Photographer: Jamison Burt

As wooden stairs are difficult to refinish in the field, the architect turned to his experience with fishing boat design and the use of removable wooden details for this stair. A particular ship’s ladder with removable teak treads was the precedent. After passing through a stone wall and walnut sliding door, one walks on locally sourced and fabricated walnut treads. The wood stops short of the stone surface revealing the structural steel below. Like the ship’s ladder, in the eventual damage and wear of the treads, hidden set screws allow for easy removal and maintenance. Completely self supported and separate from the treads, a steel hand rail runs continuously from the ceiling to the basement landing. All of the steel is blackened and left to age naturally. Additionally, the floating treads allow daylight from a skylight to penetrate deep into the basement space.