Cake Industries collaborated with Paul Archer Design to create a stunning semi-spiral stair that was shortlisted for the Architects Journal Specification Awards 2019 in the “Stairs and Lifts” category.
Aynhoe staircase has a semi-spiral form, supported only at the top and bottom. The structure consists of two outer steel stringers formed from laser cut and rolled steel welded together to form the curved geometry. The internal stringer climbs steeply around the spiral section and was cut from a circular hollow section to achieve the tight bend radius. The stair treads were formed from a steel substructure which was lasercut with all fixing positions already defined and folded to create a box to tie the stringers together. The treads were clad with parquet flooring boards arranged to match the pattern of the rest of the house, with a very delicate brass spindle balustrade and brass handrail. The handrail was helically rolled from brass section to create the spiral, and then the connections were hand bent and braised on site to create the flowing effect.
The stair geometry was modelled in 3D using Solidworks to unfold the complex geometry to create pattern drawings for the laser cutting process. The parts were assembled and finished in the Cake Industries workshop before being delivered and assembled on site. Cake industries combined the structural engineering design of the complex shape with the details of how it would be fabricated and assembled, and collaborated with Paul Archer Design to create a stunning architectural intervention.
Fabricated from a powdercoated steel structure, with flooring boards used to create the treads boxes and brass balustrade spindles and handrails.
Architect: Paul Archer Design
Structural Engineering and Fabrication: Cake Industries
Photos: Andy Stagg
