Spiral Staircase
I was asked to create a spiral staircase for a new construction home in northern Wisconsin. My clients wanted a 14’ spiral staircase from the main floor to the loft to be the architectural centerpiece of their new home.
We collaborated to design a staircase, which would reflect the home's setting atop a small hill overlooking a scenic northern Wisconsin lake. The clients gave me a list of 27 specific flora and fauna to include in the railing. They also had several small sentimental items, which they wanted incorporated into the design. What resulted was a north woods panorama that starts under the surface of the lake and proceeds up the hill and ends in the night sky. Atop the central log column, a bald eagle sits overlooking the lake.
There is a building code for railings, which requires that there be no space greater than 4” between elements. Meeting that code with the wide variety of non-repeating elements and maintaining balanced composition were some of my biggest challenges. Finding and creating the many varied plant forms in addition to those requested was another.
This project required many different techniques including fabrication, welding, forging solid and hollow forms, along with chiseling and chasing thin stock. Compiled design, fabrication and installation time was almost exactly 900 hours.
(Mild steel, instablak and clear lacquer finish.)
We collaborated to design a staircase, which would reflect the home's setting atop a small hill overlooking a scenic northern Wisconsin lake. The clients gave me a list of 27 specific flora and fauna to include in the railing. They also had several small sentimental items, which they wanted incorporated into the design. What resulted was a north woods panorama that starts under the surface of the lake and proceeds up the hill and ends in the night sky. Atop the central log column, a bald eagle sits overlooking the lake.
There is a building code for railings, which requires that there be no space greater than 4” between elements. Meeting that code with the wide variety of non-repeating elements and maintaining balanced composition were some of my biggest challenges. Finding and creating the many varied plant forms in addition to those requested was another.
This project required many different techniques including fabrication, welding, forging solid and hollow forms, along with chiseling and chasing thin stock. Compiled design, fabrication and installation time was almost exactly 900 hours.
(Mild steel, instablak and clear lacquer finish.)
