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Building Design and Construction Handbook - Merritt - Ventech!

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16.6 SECTION SIXTEEN<br />

stairs may range from 3 ft 6 in to 8 ft. There may be from 12 to 16 winder treads<br />

per complete rotation about the center.<br />

16.3.2 Stairway Components<br />

Among the principal components of a stairway are<br />

Flight. A series of steps extending from floor to floor, or from a floor to an<br />

intermediate l<strong>and</strong>ing or platform.<br />

Guard. Protective vertical barrier along edges of stairways, balconies, <strong>and</strong> floor<br />

openings.<br />

L<strong>and</strong>ings (platforms). Used where turns are necessary or to break up long<br />

climbs. L<strong>and</strong>ings should be level, as wide as the stairs, <strong>and</strong> at least 44 in long<br />

in the direction of travel.<br />

Step. Combination of a riser <strong>and</strong> the tread immediately above.<br />

Rise. Distance from floor to floor.<br />

Run. Total length of stairs in a horizontal plane, including l<strong>and</strong>ings.<br />

Riser. Vertical face of a step. Its height is generally taken as the vertical distance<br />

between treads.<br />

Tread. Horizontal face of a step. Its width is usually taken as the horizontal<br />

distance between risers.<br />

Nosing. Projection of a tread beyond the riser below.<br />

Soffit. Underside of a stair.<br />

Header. Horizontal structural member supporting stair stringers or l<strong>and</strong>ings.<br />

Carriage. Rough timber supporting the steps of wood stairs.<br />

Stringers. Inclined members along the sides of a stairway. The stringer along a<br />

wall is called a wall stringer. Open stringers are those cut to follow the lines of<br />

risers <strong>and</strong> treads. Closed stringers have parallel top <strong>and</strong> bottom, <strong>and</strong> treads <strong>and</strong><br />

risers are supported along their sides or mortised into them. In wood stairs,<br />

stringers are placed outside the carriage to provide a finish.<br />

Railing. Framework or enclosure supporting a h<strong>and</strong>rail <strong>and</strong> serving as a safety<br />

barrier.<br />

Baluster. Vertical member supporting the h<strong>and</strong>rail in a railing.<br />

Balustrade. A railing composed of balusters capped by a h<strong>and</strong>rail.<br />

H<strong>and</strong>rail. Protective bar placed at a convenient distance above the stairs for a<br />

h<strong>and</strong>hold.<br />

Newel Post. Post at which the railing terminates at each floor level.<br />

Angle Post. Railing support at l<strong>and</strong>ings or other breaks in the stairs. If the angle<br />

post projects beyond the bottom of the stringers, the ornamental detail formed at<br />

the bottom of the post is called the drop.<br />

Winders. Steps with tapered treads in sharply curved stairs.<br />

Headroom. Minimum clear height from a tread to overhead construction, such<br />

as the ceiling or next floor, ductwork, or piping.

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