Fascinating spiral stairs at Garvan Institute in Sydney, Australia. 6.5 revs and five stories from top to bottom.
(Link | Photo)
Spiral Staircase at the Vatican Museum (Italy)
The Vatican Museums spiral staircase is one of the most photographed in
the world, and certainly one of the most beautiful. Designed by Giuseppe
Momo in 1932, the broad steps are somewhere between a ramp and a
staircase. The stairs are actually two separate helixes, one leading up
and the other leading down, that twist together in a double helix
formation. Little did the Vatican Museum know in 1932 that this
formation would come to represent life itself, with the discovery of the
double helical DNA strand.
(Link)
Loretto Chapel Staircase (USA)
The Loretto Chapel is a chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, known for its
unusual spiral staircase that is an exceptional work of carpentry. The
construction and builder of the staircase are considered a miracle by
the Sisters of Loretto and many who visit it, because it had no central
support (a support was added later). The resulting staircase is an
impressive work of carpentry. It ascends twenty feet, making two
complete revolutions up to the choir loft without the use of nails or
apparent center support. It has been surmised that the central spiral of
the staircase is narrow enough to serve as a central beam. Nonetheless
there was no attachment unto any wall or pole in the original stairway.
Instead of metal nails, the staircase was constructed using dowels or
wooden pegs. The wood for the staircase cannot be found anywhere in the
region. The stairs had 33 steps, the age of Jesus when he died. The
mystery had never been satisfactorily solved as to who the carpenter was
or where he got his lumber, since there were no reports of anyone
seeing lumber delivered or even seeing the man come and go while the
construction was being done. Since he left before the Mother Superior
could pay him, the Sisters of Loretto offered a reward for the identity
of the man, but it was never claimed.
Note: some historians claime that most of this story is a
myth. (Thanks, drxwes)
(Link 1 | Link 2 | Photo)
Tulip Staircase at the Queen's House (England)
The elegant Tulip Stairs in the Queen's House are the first geometric
self-supporting spiral stairs in Britain. Although called the 'Tulip
Stairs,' it is thought that the stylized flowers in the wrought-iron
balustrade are actually fleurs-de-lis, as this was the emblem of the
Bourbon family of which Queen Henrietta Maria (wife of Charles I) was a
member. The Tulip Stairs are also the location of the Rev R. W. Hardy's
famous 'ghost' photograph taken on 19 June 1966, which when developed
revealed what appear to be two or three shrouded figures on the
staircase.
(Link | Photo)
Staircase at Lello Bookshop (Portugal)
This interesting grand staircase in Lello Bookshop in Portugal stands
ominous and heavy. The steps are like two channels pouring and swirling
to a single point. The side view gives you a closer idea of the immense
curves and giddy sinking feeling to each step.
(Link)
San Francisco's Tiled Steps - World's Longest Mosaic Stair (USA)
The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, perhaps the world's longest mosaic
staircase (163 steps, 82' high), was conceived and fabricated by Irish
ceramicist Aileen Barr and San Francisco mosaic artist Colette Crutcher.
Over a two and a half year period, a tireless group of neighbors raised
funds and lobbied city government to make the project, unveiled in
August 2005, a reality. Over 2000 handmade tiles and 75,000 fragments of
tile, mirror and stained glass went into the finished piece, located at
16th Ave. and Moraga, in San Francisco.
(Link)
"Umschreibung" at KPMG Building Munich (Germany)
This artistic staircase designed by Olafur Eliasson is called
Umschreibung (Rewriting), and was completed in 2004. It's in the
courtyard of the global accounting firm KPMG in Munich.
(Link)
Stairs at the Longchamp Store (New York)
Constructed in 1¼” hot-rolled steel and taking six months to be built,
the stair landscape weighs 55 tons and is an installation of ribbon-like
forms that divide and converge to form a topography of walkways,
landings and steps.
(Link)
Vertigo Staircase at the QVB Building (Australia)
This image shows “The Grand Staircase" of Sydney's Grand Queen Victoria
Building. This building, now affectionately known as the QVB, was
designed by George McRae and completed in 1898, replacing the original
Sydney markets on the site. Built as a monument to the long reigning
monarch, construction took place in dire times, as Sydney was in a
severe recession. The elaborate Romanesque architecture was specially
planned for the grand building so the Government could employ many
out-of-work craftsmen – stonemasons, plasterers, and stained window
artists – in a worthwhile project.
(Link)
Bridge-stair at the Traversinertobel (Switzerland)
The bridge over the Traversinertobel, a side valley of the Via Mala, is
the latest structure of this kind designed by engineer Jürg Conzett and
his associate Rolf Bachofner . They solved the problem of connecting two
different elevations over the gorge by creating a staircase. The
staircase replaces a rope bridge for hikers that was wiped out by a rock
slide. This suspended footbridge spans a distance of 56 metres, with a
difference in height of 22 metres between the two ends.
(Link 1 | Link 2)
Spiral Stair (Australia)
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