The signature staircase for the law firm of Boies Schiller Flexner is located between the 18th and 20th floors of the 55 Hudson Yards building in Manhattan. The design of the stair is intended to create a visually dynamic link between levels within an open office floor plan imagined by the architectural firm, Schiller Projects. The execution of the design required close collaboration between the design team, fabricator, and engineer in order to meet the performative requirements of the client.
For the structural design of the stair, a welded assembly of laser cut, bent plates was employed to accomplish the curving span that gracefully cantilevers into the void of the open stair shaft. The welded assembly relies on fabricated tubular components for the stringers, risers, and treads that act as one integral structure. The analysis of the stair considered the perceptibility of motion and vibration on individuals located at various points as well as the effects of differential building motion at floor levels associated with the lateral loading of the building. The elegance of the stair’s resulting curvature is a feat both structurally and in its simplicity.
PROJECT TEAM
Architect: Schiller Projects, General Contractor: Structure Tone, Fabricator: Caliper Studio
