staircases Archives

Mexico City community centre has blue-tinted concrete walls

Design firms WORKac and Ignacio Urquiza Architects have created a multi-level, concrete community centre in an underserved neighbourhood that is meant to “promote the regeneration of social life”.

The building by New York’s WORKac and local studio Ignacio Urquiza Arquitectos – officially called PILARES Lomas de Becerra — is located in a hilly area and rises up from a dense intersection surrounded by active streets.

Community centre by WORKac and Ignacio Urquiza Architects — The community centre is located in Mexico City

Located in Mexico City’s Lomas de Becerra neighbourhood, the building was created as part of a government initiative called PILARES, which stands for Points of Innovation, Freedom, Art, Education and Knowledge.

For a slender, irregularly shaped site, the team devised a multi-storey facility that encompasses 5,059 square feet (470 square metres).

Blue concrete walls within the community centre — WORKac and Ignacio Urquiza Architects designed the multi-level structure

“In appearance, the volume is simple and compact, with a strong character that confirms its presence as a public building,” the team said.

Walls are made of concrete – a material chosen for its construction and structural efficiencies, as well as its thermal and aesthetic qualities, the team said. The concrete was dyed blue, a decision informed by the vibrant colours found in the surrounding area.

Coloured concrete building in Mexico City — The team devised the building for a slender, irregularly shaped site

Launched in 2018, the PILARES programme aims to create opportunities for residents in underserved areas.

“Each PILARES building is designed to support various kinds of classes and workshops in support of skill building, as well as bringing cultural programming, learning opportunities, and safe spaces for leisure and cross-generational gathering to each neighbourhood,” said New York’s WORKac.

“The sites selected for their construction create new landmarks in the urban fabric, enabling the population to identify them as community meeting centres that promote the regeneration of social life.”

Blue concrete walls and a geometric skylight — Walls are made of blue concrete

Mexico City’s government enlisted local and international design studios to create 26 facilities under the programme.

Buildings are meant to respond to the local context and follow programming guidelines developed through extensive community engagement.

Blue concrete walls — The building is meant to respond to its local context

The team tried to reflect the community and its values in the architecture.

“The use of colour in Mexican architecture is an element that has been transformed and reinterpreted in the hands of many artists and architects across generations,” the team said.

The building is fronted by a plaza that is shaded by pre-existing trees.

Street with trees outside Mexico City community centre — The building is fronted by a plaza with trees

Part of the ground floor is sliced away to form an angled, glazed entry wall, which helps “the transition between exterior and interior spaces”, the team said.

“The diagonal opening on the ground floor provides clear and free-flowing pedestrian routes in every direction, inviting users to walk around the plaza and enter the building,” the team said.

Inside, the building contains three split levels, all of which are connected by a central staircase. Rooms are designed to be fluid and adaptable.

“This flexible approach leaves open the possibility for changes to the programme over the lifetime of the building and allows it to freely evolve and adapt,” the team said.

Central staircase from an aerial view — Three split levels are connected by a central staircase

WORKac and Ignacio Urquiza Architects have designed a second PILARES building, in the borough of Azcapotzalco, that follows a similar design vocabulary.

Other PILARES buildings include a community centre in Iztapalapa by Rozana Montiel Estudio de Arquitectura that features a series of bridges, walkways and exterior staircases.

The photography is by Arturo Arrieta and Ramiro del Carpio.

Project credits:

Architect: WORKac and Ignacio Urquiza Architects (IUA)
Team: Amale Andraos, Dan Wood, Ignacio Urquiza Seoane, Michela Lostia di Santa Sofía, Eder Hernández, María del Mar Carballo, Ana Laura Ochoa, Anet Carmona, Noé García, León Chávez, Fernando Tueme, Sacha Bourgarel
Interior design and lighting: WORKac, IUA and APDA
Structure and engineering: BVG (César Barquera, Eduardo Barquera); Ecomadi
Landscape: Genfor Landscaping (Tanya Eguiluz)
Development: Mexico City government and ZV Studio (Carlos Zedillo)
Digital visualizations: Israel Levy
Client: Mexico City government

Reference

Interior Design

Dezeen’s top 10 staircases of 2023

By Zarkon Group,05/12/2023

Continuing our 2023 review, we have selected 10 striking staircases published on Dezeen this year, from prefabricated plywood steps at a Cornish home to a colourful set for an opera in a Swiss theatre.

Architects and designers have continued to find clever solutions to travelling on foot from one storey to another in 2023 by creating staircases that are both beautiful and functional.

Ranging from the spectacular to the space-saving, here are Dezeen’s top 10 staircases of 2023:

Ribbon House, India, by Studio Ardete

An angular balustrade with tilting black rails twists around sweeping concrete steps to form the staircase at Ribbon House, a home in Punjab with an equally sculptural exterior.

Architecture office Studio Ardete placed open living spaces next to the staircase on each floor to create lobby-like communal areas on the house’s different levels.

Find out more about Ribbon House ›

House by the Sea in Cornwall — Photo by Lorenzo Zandri

House by the Sea, UK, by Of Architecture

House by the Sea is the home of a surfer-and-artist couple in Newquay, Cornwall, that was designed to be “simple, robust and utilitarian”.

For the interior, London studio Of Architecture inserted prefabricated plywood steps leading to a cosy mezzanine level tucked beneath the dwelling’s sloping roof.

Find out more about House by the Sea ›

HAUS 1 by MVRDV — Photo by Schnepp Renou

Haus 1, Germany, by MVRDV and Hirschmüller Schindele Architekten

A bright yellow, zigzagging staircase juts out from the facade of the Haus 1 building in Berlin, creating the appearance of a striking crane and providing a beacon for approaching visitors.

Dutch studio MVRDV worked with local studio Hirschmüller Schindele Architekten to design Haus 1, which forms part of the city’s Atelier Gardens redevelopment.

Find out more about Haus 1 ›

Staircase at Luna House — Photo by Pezo von Ellrichshausen

Luna House, Chile, by Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen

Brutalist-style spiral staircases connect the storeys of Luna House, an expansive geometric complex in Chile comprised of 12 individual buildings.

Chilean studio Pezo von Ellrichshausen designed the stairs and the majority of the structure in reinforced concrete, which is highly textured thanks to imprints left behind by wooden formwork.

Find out more about Luna House ›

Pierre Yovanovitch staircase set design Basel opera — Photo by Paolo Abate.

Rigoletto set design, Switzerland, by Pierre Yovanovitch

French interior designer Pierre Yovanovitch embedded moving, curved walls within an undulating staircase that stretched the full width of the stage for a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Rigoletto at Theatre Basel.

Bathed in coloured light, the flexible walls created a neutral set for the performers to balance the play’s complex plot, according to the designer.

Find out more about this staircase ›

Staircase inside Hairpin House by Figure and Studio J Jih — Photo by James Leng (also top)

Hairpin House, USA, by Studio J Jih and Figure

This Boston house was renovated to revolve around a sculptural “hairpin” staircase informed by the twists and turns of mountain roads.

Designed by American firms Studio J Jih and Figure, the white oak stairs were created to increase the home’s useable floor area by 20 per cent.

Find out more about Hairpin House ›

Trapezoidal concrete and glass house — Photo by Alex Shoots Buildings

House in Pernek, Slovakia, by Ksa Studený

This home in the village of Pernek, Slovakia, was designed in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid, mirroring its longitudinal profile.

Architecture studio Ksa Studený positioned a chunky white staircase over a slanted slab of concrete to divide the interior space.

Find out more about this house ›

The Arbor House in Scotland — Photo by Jim Stephenson

The Arbor House, Scotland, by Brown & Brown

A spiral staircase made from birch plywood winds into the dining area at The Arbor House by Brown & Brown, located in a conservation area in Aberdeen.

The studio assembled the stairs over three weeks, with timber treads individually cut and hand-layered to form a smooth curve.

Find out more about The Arbor House ›

Apartment by FADD Studio — Photo by Gokul Rao Kadam

SNN Clermont residential tower, India, by FADD Studio

Indian practice FADD Studio renovated two apartments within the SNN Clermont residential tower in Bangalore to create a fused multi-generational home.

The studio took cues from the curves of caterpillars when creating a swooping staircase, which connects the two flats and features deep red marble risers.

Find out more about these apartments ›

Keiji Ashizawa-designed Conran Shop — Photo courtesy of The Conran Shop

The Conran Shop, Japan, by Keiji Ashizawa

Japanese designer Keiji Ashizawa created interiors for The Conran Shop in Tokyo to reflect the inside of someone’s home.

The store’s mezzanine floor is accessible by a minimalist geometric staircase featuring a handrail made from black paper cords.

Find out more about The Conran Shop ›

Reference

Interior Design

Eight sculptural wooden staircases that bring warmth to the home

By Zarkon Group,04/11/2023

Our latest lookbook features eight sculptural staircases made of wood that make a statement and bring warmth to apartments from Hong Kong to Boston.

Often the organizing principle in the planning of any space, a staircase can either blend in or stand out.

The eight gathered in this lookbook lean into the latter – showcasing both the structural abilities of wood like larch, birch and plywood and demonstrating how circulation need not be boring.

From a completely pre-fabricated staircase in a Boston apartment to a plywood spiral staircase twisting from the loft of a renovated barn in the Netherlands, these sculptural stairs create a visually striking centrepiece, as well as a fun way to traverse a house.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring rustic Italian interiors, autumnal bedrooms and show-stealing dining room tables.

Hairpin House, USA, Studio J Jih and Figure

Located in Boston’s South End neighbourhood, this historic townhouse renovation sees a four-storey interior plan wrapped around a white oak staircase that spirals around a 40-foot-high (12-metre-high) atrium.

“Aptly named Hairpin House, the project takes the tight, unpredictable, and ultimately poetic switchback turns of a mountain road as inspiration for the overall renovation – and in particular a new unravelling central stair,” said the design team.

Find out more about Hairpin House ›

Linehouse Cape Drive residence — Photo by Jonathan Leijonhufvud

Cape Drive Residence, Hong Kong, Linehouse

Just a short walk from the beaches of Hong Kong’s south side, this three-storey house channels “coastal essence” through natural materials and light, Chinese studio Linehouse told Dezeen.

An “easy flow” was also imbued into the design, created in part by a timber stairwell that’s tucked to the side and – save for a white metallic screen – is open to the living spaces.

Find out more about Cape Drive Residence ›

A wooden staircase with a planting bed at the base — Photo by Frank Frances

Mass Timber House, USA, Schiller Projects

According to design studio Schiller Projects, this renovated carriage home in Brooklyn is the borough’s first single-family residence that uses mass timber construction.

Besides repurposed wooden elements like timber panels and floorboards used for the project, the house features a pre-fabricated glue-laminated timber (glulam) staircase that can be completely disassembled.

Find out more about Mass Timber House ›

Plywood spiral staircase in Barn at the Ahof by Julia van Beuningen — Photo by Alex Baxter

Barn at the Ahof, the Netherlands, Julia van Beuningen

Architectural designer Julia Van Beuningen converted this Gelderland barn into a holiday home complete with a spiral staircase made out of plywood at the heart of the floor plan, which contrasts the more rustic materials of the surrounding building.

“This is very different and very unusual in a barn like this,” said Van Beuningen. “It’s something you either love or hate, but it’s definitely a statement.”

Find out more about Barn at the Ahof ›

Carroll Gardens Townhouse, USA, Starling Architecture and Emily Lindberg Design

New York studios Starling Architecture and Emily Lindberg Design merged a two-family dwelling into one for the owner’s growing family.

White oak running throughout the two units unifies the project, which includes the addition of a new wooden staircase covered by a slated screen made of the same material.

Find out more about Carroll Gardens Townhouse ›

Larch Loft extension in London by Whittaker Parsons — Photo by Jim Stephenson

Stoke Newington loft, UK, Whittaker Parsons

Architecture firm Whittaker Parsons was tasked with adding a loft to a house in Stoke Newington, London, as well as updating spaces throughout the lower floors.

With efficiency and quality in mind, the studio used prefabricated structural insulated panels (SIP) to construct the new loft. The space is accessed by a spiral staircase made of larch that’s topped with a skylight.

Find out more about Stoke Newington loft ›

Staircase and kitchen in Dragon Flat by Tsuruta Architects — Photo is by Tim Croker

Dragon Flat, UK, Tsuruta Architects

A floating timber staircase features in this flat in London, which is outfitted with walls CNC-etched with images of peonies, dragons, bats and the Thames.

The central staircase allows light to filter into the kitchen and living room below, while solid timber bricks act as landings on either side.

Find out more about Dragon Flat ›

Elsternwick Penthouse in Melbourne by Office Alex Nicholls — Photo by Rory Gardiner

Elsternwick penthouse, Australia, Office Alex Nicholls

The timber staircases in this Melbourne house were integrated into its “library spine” an organizing corridor that contains the family’s collection of books, art and artefacts.

“From a practical standpoint, it allowed everything to be easily accessible and displayed but it also helps to draw people through the apartment and celebrate the two staircases to the roof garden at either end,” said Office Alex Nicholls founder Alex Nicholls.

Find out more about Elsternwick penthouse ›

Reference

Interior Design

Black staircases link SC Workplace by Behnisch Architekten

By Zarkon Group,25/02/2023

A variety of black staircases dogleg and spiral between the levels of this office in Southern California, designed by global firm Behnisch Architekten.

Tasked with bringing personality to a four-storey “developer box”, Behnisch Architekten 110,000 square feet (10,220 square metres) for an undisclosed client.

Hairpin staircases rise through atrium — Hairpin staircases rise through an atrium to link offices on different levels

“We had the opportunity to work with a great client to transform this ubiquitous building type into a dynamic work environment, which promotes connection and collaboration,” said the studio.

The building shell, measuring 120 by 240 feet (37 by 74 metres), features glass facades and an elevator core at its centre.

Atrium with glass facade and two staircases — Behnisch Architekten carved the atria from the floor plates to bring in light and create visual connections

The team began by carving up the continuous floor plates to open up the levels to one another – allowing in more light and creating visual connections between multiple spaces.

On opposite sides of the core, they created two “eccentrically-shaped atriums” by staggering the walls of meeting rooms on the different storeys.

Underside of staircases — The staircases are wrapped in solid black on three sides

“A pair of hairpin-shaped stairs are situated in each atrium and connect users between office levels two to four, promoting inter-level exchange, but also serving as a sculptural element within the space,” said the studio.

Voids were also created in opposing corners, each containing a spiral staircase treated with the same solid black balustrades and light wooden treads as the doglegged ones.

Spiral staircase in corner void — More voids were formed at the building’s corners, which are used as lounge areas

“The multitude of options between levels allows users to move freely from floor to floor,” Behnisch Architekten said. “These voids also add communication and transparency between previously disconnected floor plates.”

Lounge areas also occupy the corner voids, which offer social spaces for employees and are flooded with light from the dual-aspect glazing.

Lounge area in front of staircase — Spiral staircases provide alternatives vertical routes through the building

Private offices are situated around the building’s perimeter so that users are afforded light and views.

Closer to the elevator lobbies, conference and meeting rooms feature glass walls, allowing some to overlook the atria.

Internal lounge area with colourful sofas — Meeting and conference rooms are located in the centre of the building

For wayfinding and booking, every meeting room is named after a river, while lounges are represented by lakes.

Each floor corresponds with two continental regions, which are identified through custom-designed wood artworks and photography.

Amenities for staff at ground level include a bouldering wall that wraps the core and is connected to a gym and a game room.

A large dining hall features pale materials and a slatted wood ceiling also found in other areas of the building.

Stefan Behnisch established Behnisch Architekten in Stuttgart in 1989 with his late father Günter Behnisch. The firm now has additional offices in Los Angeles, Boston and Munich.

It has completed a variety of different building typologies over the years, from kindergartens, schools and laboratories, to offices for Adidas and an academic building at Harvard University.

Dining hall — Staff amenities include a large dining hall

Behnisch was interviewed about his firm’s projects as part of Dezeen’s Virtual Design Festival in 2020.

The photography is by Brad Feinknopf and Nephew.

Project credits:

Project team: Kristi Paulson (Partner in Charge), Daniel Poei (Director/Project Lead), Tony Gonzalez, Vera Tian, Laura Fox, Eric Hegre Apurva Ravi, Victoria Oakes
Consultants: John A. Martin & Associates (Structural), Loisos + Ubbelohde (Lighting/Daylighting), ARUP (Fire/Life Safety, Acoustical, Audio/Visual), ACCO Engineered Systems (Design-Build – Mechanical/Plumbing), Morrow Meadows (Design- Build – Electrical), Pinnacle (Design-Build – Audio/Visual), Ockert and Partners (Graphics), SPMDesign (Custom-fabricated Artwork)
General contractor: DPR Construction

Reference

Interior Design

Ten homes with staircases that have statement balustrades

By Zarkon Group,16/10/2022

In our latest lookbook, Dezeen has rounded up 10 home staircases that incorporate contemporary and non-traditional balustrades from circular perforations to bold colour blocking.

A balustrade is a railing that runs alongside a staircase and prevents a person from falling over its edge. Balusters are vertical posts that typically support a bannister or handrail above, balusters traditionally have a lathe-turned form that results in a bulbous and curving profile.

Although often focal points of interior settings, balustrades can be relatively similar from home to home. In this lookbook, we have highlighted 10 alternative balustrades that bring a non-traditional and statement look to homes.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring maximalist interiors, homes that use tiles as a decorative feature and interiors with ornate ceilings.

Private House in Cologne by SMO Architektur — Phot by Rainer Mader

Private House in Cologne, Germany, by SMO Architektur

This perforated balustrade complements the rigid and cubic form of this house in Cologne, which was designed by architecture practice SMO Architektur and informed by Le Corbusier’s Plan Libre.

A staircase that runs through the home was bounded by a seamless, perforated balustrade that is constructed from a singular sheet of material. The perforations within the balustrade contrast against the square and angular shape profile of the staircase.

Find out more about Private House in Cologne ›

Mo-tel House by Office S&M — Photo by French + Tye

Mo-tel House, UK, by Office S&M

This brightly coloured staircase sits within a Georgian townhouse in the London borough of Islington, which was renovated by London studio Office S&M.

Titled Mo-tel House, the home has a brightly coloured interior scheme with a geometric and boldly coloured staircase. Its vertically slatted balusters were painted pink while a bright yellow handrail folds over and into the staircase’s end post.

Find out more about Mo-tel House in London ›

Tel Aviv townhouse by David Lebenthal — Photo by Tal Nisim

Tel Aviv townhouse, Israel, by David Lebenthal

In Tel Aviv, architect David Lebenthal suspended a staircase behind a wall of vertically organised steel rods that function as the staircase’s balustrade.

The home was designed for Lebenthal and his family and was organised around an exposed concrete party wall that hosts the metal staircase that runs through the home. Steel rods stretch between each floor of the home and were fixed to and intersect with the outer edge of the metal-folded tread.

Find out more about Tel Aviv townhouse ›

White Rabbit House by Gundry & Ducker — Photo by Andrew Meredith

White Rabbit House, UK, by Gundry & Ducker

Architecture studio Gundry & Ducker fitted a cantilevered staircase into this 1970s house in London.

Its balustrade is comprised of green-painted vertical rods that run the entire length of the staircase and a one-piece wooden bannister that was placed on top of the green balusters and pierces through an overhanging lip on the tread of the base step.

Find out more about White Rabbit House ›

Bonhôte House by AOC — Photo by Tim Soar

Bonhôte House, UK, by AOC

Angular brass rods, arranged in a zigzagging formation, flank the sides of this staircase that ascends above an open-plan living and kitchen area in a north London townhouse.

The home was designed by architecture studio AOC within a contemporary family home. It has an open-plan design with its brass-wrapped staircase used to divide the ground floor living spaces

Find out more about Bonhôte House ›

Hearth House, UK, by AOC

Architecture studio AOC incorporated a negative relief-style balustrade into the staircase at Hearth House in Golders Green.

On the upper levels of the staircase, the profiles and silhouettes of traditional spindle balusters were laser cut into plywood sheets creating voids where ornamental spindles would sit. Elsewhere, a lamp extends from the handrail of the bannister.

Find out more about Hearth House ›

O12, Germany, by Philipp von Matt

German architect Philipp von Matt fitted a golden-hued, perforated-brass bannister to a solid concrete staircase at O12, an artist’s home in Berlin.

The mesh brass bannister zigzags along the side of the concrete stairwell from the front door of the home through to its first and second floors. As a result of its perforations, light can travel through the bannister and filter into the monolithic stairwell.

Find out more about O12 ›

Ash House by R2 Studio — Photo by Andy Stagg

Ash House, UK, by R2 Studio

A full-height ash bannister, which was pierced with circular cut-out openings lines a wooden stairwell that connects two storeys of an Edwardian house in Lewisham, London.

Architecture studio R2 Studio mimicked the stair profile when creating the hole pattern across the ash bannister, incorporating larger holes at eye level for both adults and children. A groove was cut into the opposite side to form an inset handrail.

Find out more about Ash House ›

Maryland House by Remi Connolly-Taylor — Photo by James Retief

Maryland House, UK, by Remi Connolly-Taylor

A red metal staircase at designer Remi Connolly-Taylor’s home in London has a weightless look. It has a red folded tread that sits on top of the home’s stone floors. Besides the tread, a tubular, pipe-like hand rail-cum-balustrade has a similarly weightless look and protrudes from the ground and follows the profile of the steps below.

The staircase is encased within a glass block-clad stairwell that Connolly-Taylor explained was used to bring light into the interior while also providing privacy from neighbours.

Find out more about Maryland House ›

Coastal House by 6a Architects — Photo by Johan Dehlin

Coastal House, UK, by 6a Architects

A wooden staircase sits at the heart of this home, which was renovated by London-based architecture studio 6a Architects. Thin tapering spindle-shaped balustrades were organised at alternating angles creating a wave-like rhythm across the entire staircase.

The bannister and balustrade were made from oak and have an unfinished, rustic quality that ties the staircase to the home’s original beams and textural stone walls.

Find out more about Coastal House ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring deliberately unfinished interiors, maximalist interiors and walk-in wardrobes.

Reference

staircases

Mexico City community centre has blue-tinted concrete walls

Dezeen’s top 10 staircases of 2023

Eight sculptural wooden staircases that bring warmth to the home

Black staircases link SC Workplace by Behnisch Architekten

Ten homes with staircases that have statement balustrades

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