staircase
Purpose
The main purpose of this project was to make a pleasant, aesthetic journey from one space to another.
I designed a staircase with a focus on the experience from start to finish. My goal was to offer a dramatic transition by using the power and capabilities of architectural elements. I designed the staircase's start as dark, narrow and constrained, and the end as bright, wide and open.
Features
Scalability: Individuals start by feeling constrained, with little room to move sideways. As they approach the end, users experience a wide, unusual space for a staircase that leads them to question whether they still stand on a staircase or in the space they are traveling to.
Light: the staircase's first stage does not contain any windows. Windows start appearing in the second stage in small sizes. By the third and last stage, the windows triple in size. As the individual goes through all three stages, he or she experiences more light and outdoor views.
Support: each step is supported by a number of strings. Depending on the time of the day, the strings create different shadow patterns in the building's interior. Since most strings originate from stage one (west panel), there is more shading in that stage of the staircase, making the beginning darker and more enclosed.
Learnings
I learned how to represent abstract concepts in an architectural context. I enjoyed trying out different attributes, using my imagination to come up with new concepts and finally deciding on the ones that were a better fit for the main purpose.
