What are the Requirements of a Good Stair | A Civil Engineer’s Perspective

Hi

If you are constructing a new home or as such any building with multiple floors, you definitely will need stairs. There are few things that must be kept in mind, so as to provide a quick, safe and easy mode of transportation between the two floors in your building.

• Location of Stair
• Width of Stair
• Length of Flight
• Pitch of Stair
• Head Room
• Balustrade
• Step Dimensions
• Materials of Construction

Now let’s discuss all these requirements, in detail, one at a time.

Read More:

1. 20 Technical Terms Related to Stairs

2. Categories of RCC Stairs

Location of Stair

1. The stair must be at such a location so that enough ventilation and light is available from the outside.
2. It should be easily accessible to all the users of the building, hence in general stairs are procided at the center of the building.
3. It should have easy approach and access area at the floor landings for the easy movement of the people or luggage.

Width of Stair

The width of the building must be sufficient enough for day-to-day transportation of men and other stuff related to that building. In domestic buildings, a width of 90 cm is sufficient, while in public buildings, where the larger crowds may gather at times, stair width may vary between 1.5 m to 1.8 m.

Length of Flight

The length of a single is majorly governed by a comfort’s point of view. The steps in a single flight are not more than 12 and are not less than 3. If steps increase, the flight length increases. The higher number of steps may cause discomfort to the climbers.

Pitch of Stair

As stated in various Civil Engineering Books by various professors of IITs (Indian Institute of Technology, India), the pitch of the stairs is limited to a range of 30 to 45 degrees. A pitch of 45 degrees suggests a 1:1 ratio between the rise and tread. A theory suggests that the average human stride is 23 inches. If the twice of ‘rise’ is added to the ‘going’, the total sum should be around 23 inches or 60 cm.

Head Room

The headroom should be sufficient enough for even a tall person to move freely, even with luggage on the head. Therefore the headroom should be 2.1 to 2.3 m or larger.

Balustrade

Balustrades are needed for the protection of the passengers. The open newel (open well) stairs are always provided with the balustrades. Wide stairs should be provided with handrails on both sides.

Step Dimensions

The going size depends majorly on the human foot size. A going of 25 cm to 30 cm is quite comfortable, less than 25 is not recommended at all. The rise should also be kept in between 10 to 15 cm. The landing width should always be equal to or greater than the stair width.

Construction Materials

Stairs are the entry and exit to a floor in the building, hence they must be having sufficient strength to hold the design loads, and at the same time should be fire-resistant so as to be operative in case of any fire hazards. Hence the material used should have two main properties:

1. More than sufficient Strength
2. Fire-resistant

Reference:

1. Building Construction by Dr. B. C. Punmia | Er. Ashok Kumar Jain | Dr. Arun K. Jain
2. Building Construction by Rangawala