Winding Stairs x Safety x Is it okay?
I went to the local children's center “Naga-Nobi!” which had its grand reopening this July.
I had heard that the old facility, the “Nagano City Science Center for Youth,” was closed due to aging and that a new one was opening, so I assumed it was a complete rebuild. However, the building itself was reused in an eco-renewal (?) project.
Since the structure was reused as is, the
winding stairs (spiral staircase),
which were a symbol of the previous building, are still being used as the main passageway.
With this renewal, the target age group was lowered to include toddlers and infants, so honestly, I find it a bit concerning that the primary evacuation route is a set of winding stairs.
By the way, the reason winding stairs are not suitable for evacuation routes (and are generally prohibited) is, as you know, because
“the width of the tread changes between the inner and outer sides”
(meaning the risk of missing a step is higher than with regular stairs).
Since they were not updated during the renewal, the required tread width is maintained, but what about when you have to lead a child by the hand during an emergency?
I really wish they had made the effort to add an external ramp-style emergency exit.
(From afar, I can hear voices saying Ugh, but the budget... ...)
Today's bonus 1
But they are cool, aren't they? Winding stairs (spiral staircase).
I remember the stairs at the former Itoki Showroom in Ginza, where I was taken as a child, being cool?
(I was a child, so I don't remember clearly, but I think there was a strangely shaped chair (probably an Aeron chair) on the second floor?)
Today's bonus 2
Ginza Hakuhinkan The stairs winding around the elevator were also dreamy and wonderful.
(I remember clearly because I was a child, and it was Hakuhinkan, after all.)
Today's bonus 3
Roppongi AXIS building's “winding stairs” might also be cool.
(Since there is no step difference at the landing, these are not winding stairs.)
(By the way, it seems to be the work of Kuramata Design Office. See link.)
Sources for this article
・Beautiful Chairs 2 (Shin Shimazaki + Tokyo Life Design Museum)
・PEN No. 225 (July 15, 2008 issue)