"Installation of a Staircase"

Hung-Ming Chen and Chen-Chia Li

"Installation of a Staircase"

This project is located in a stairway in the Department of Engineering at our school. The University provided the funds and the location. Altogether, we spent more than three months on this project, starting with a proposal and continuing with form•Z modeling, RP (Rapid Prototyping) modeling, processing digitized drawings, and the computer-aided manufacturing process. The primary function of the open space where the project is located is for the students and teachers to rest and discuss their homework. At the same time, we hoped it would be aesthetically pleasing. This project had to fit within a 6.0 meter space, 5.0 meters

long and 3.5 meters high.

The design consists of three parts: the base, the vertical structure, and the network mesh. All three parts were constructed using curved-shape models generated with NURBS. The design is based on fifteen consecutive sections extending to the ceiling to form a continuous shape. In total it uses 335 wooden boards. The base is composed of two crisscrossed stacks folding over each other from the bottom to the top. Furthermore, three different cross shape tendons were developed in order to assemble a horizontal base layout. The vertical section is aligned with the wall and is derived from many consecutive spherical forms. The resulting columns were generated using Boolean operations. The network mesh is made of stainless steel cables and follows the curvature of the NURBS surface. There is a total of 38 round holes in each of the outer cylindrical structures. This produces a woven wall which ensures that there will be no lateral displacement throughout the structure, all the way to the ceiling.