Escape and Fire Staircases – Straight-Flight Staircase

Spiral staircases are not suitable for all buildings. Due to the often varying building code requirements in different countries, only straight staircases are prescribed and installed as escape or fire staircases in many regions.

Necessity also plays a role—especially when safe evacuation of a large number of people must be ensured. In such cases, the geometric advantages of a straight-flight staircase may make it the optimal choice.

In many instances, architectural considerations also influence the decision—particularly whether to construct a one-, two-, or four-column staircase. When the grating treads are mounted between the central columns as bracing elements, they form a stabilizing wall that gives the staircase a distinctive structural character, as clearly demonstrated in the example shown here.

Straight-flight staircase with two central columns