Folding Steel: New Floating Staircase for a Refab Attic Space

Folding Steel: New Floating Staircase for a Refab Attic Space

From: dornob.com

The challenge: replace a standard skinny ladder leading up to an unfinished attic with working stairs … but they must be able to wrap within the same limited confines of a tiny landing. The solution: an elegant folded sheet of steel connected to a newly-renovated living room area within the uppermost story of this small and thin London flat.


Look closely: the single-piece set of stairs and treads twists from bottom to top without ever touching the adjacent walls or the central pole that serves as a handrail, being fully self-supported along the way.



A simple sheet of glass serves as a protective barrier instead of regular wrapping railings (unfortunately not something that would be likely to pass US fire code inspections).



Tamir Addadi Architecture followed the wishes of their clients, creating something that stood out as different – clearly an additional, furniture-like element adding to the more traditional existing apartment.



At the top of the climb lies a cozy living room lined with warm wooden panels, bookended by existing exposed brickwork and perforated for a single skylight to let in natural rays during the day while making the space feel private and enclosed.

An Attic Penthouse

An Attic Penthouse Beyond Compare in Gothemburg, Sweden

Here is an amazing apartment that we are certain will not leave you indifferent. After all, who can resist a fresh, spacious loft, conveniently situated in a beautiful historic building and tastefully displaying exposed beams, a lovely chimney, lavish cuisine, tasteful arrangements and views of Gothenburg’s red and green rooftops? Found on Alvhem, the crib you are about to discover is structured on two levels, one of which is actually an expansion of the initial apartment and is situated on the top building floor. The views in the “attic” are absolutely fantastic and the interior design is flawless. The bottom level features three rooms plus kitchen and can be characterized by bright colors, combined with an excellent dim lighting scheme. The open plan living room with rustic elements (beams and bricks) creates a highly welcoming environment for having friends over. One could say this apartment has it all; what’s your opinion?

key operation inc.: house taishido

From: designboom.com.

'house taishido' by key operation inc. in setagaya, tokyo, japan
all images courtesy key operation inc.
(above) image by key operation inc.

japanese studio key operation inc. (akira koyama) has sent us images of 'house taishido', a three-storey private dwelling in a dense residential area of tokyo, japan. flanked by neighbouring structures on three sides, the design manipulates its proportions both horizontally and vertically to achieve interior spaces that are both spacious and effective.

street facade
image by key operation inc.

standing on a plot measuring 7 x 12m, the house is stepped back from the site line by 1.5m to set it apart
from the public street and alleyway. the entrance and garage is read as an extruded volume with a square face
while the rest of the structure - stepped back another two meters - features bold angles and an asymmetrically
pitched roof to create a dynamic profile. singularly finished in mortar, the facade provides a prominent
contrast with the carport, which is executed in a shade of bright red.

garage
image by keizo shibasaki

the main communal spaces - kitchen, living, dining - are hosted on the second level, which is fronted by
a generous outdoor terrace on top of the garage unit. the kitchen is connected to the rest of the area by
a kiosk-like opening, which can be fully extended and integrated. the large stretch of wall is studded
with a series of platforms which was provided for the house cat.

interior view
image by key operation inc.

dining room
image by key operation inc.

left) common space
(right) kitchen
images by key operation inc.


the house's core circulation is hosted is hosted in the north-west corner of the layout in a series of
winding staircases. in order to efficiently and appropriately utilize all available space, this route serves
a dual-purpose as the dwelling's library. providing a bench to sit and read, the landing is transformed
into a functional platform.
 

washroom

left) view of study from stairs
image by keizo shibasaki
(right) library

from inside the study

image by keizo shibasaki

loft space
image by key operation inc.

 image by key operation inc.

 image by key operation inc.

entrance
image by keizo shibasaki

night view
image by key operation inc.

in context

site plan

 floor plan / level 0
(1) stairs
(2) WC
(3) washroom
(4) bath
(5) parking
(6) entrance
(7) spare room
(8) kitchen
(9) living / dining
(10) balcony
(11) corridor
(12) study
(13) WC
(14) bedroom
(15) bedroom

 floor plan / level +1

floor plan / level +2

project info:

site area: 99.63 m2
constructed area: 58.76 m2
gross floor area: 148.24 m2
storeys: 3