Quantity Surveying -II Lecture notes -1

 

Unit – 1 DETAILED ESTIMATE OF R.C.C ELEMENTS

Staircase

• Staircase is an important component of a building providing access to different floors and roofs of the building. It consists of a flight of steps and one or more intermediate landing slabs between the floor levels. Staircase divides a large vertical distance into smaller distances in the form of steps.
• Stairs can be defined as a series of steps suitably arranged to connect different floors of a building. It may also be defined as an arrangement of treads, risers, stringers, newel post, handrails, and baluster, so designed and constructed to provide easy and quick access to the different floors.
• A connected series of steps without any break between landing and floor is called a flight of stairs or Stairway.
• Stairs can be made of concrete, stone, wood, steel, or a combination of any of these.

 

Primary Functions

• Provide access from one floor to another.
• Provide a safe means of travel between floors.
• Provide a degree of insulation, where part of a separating element between compartments in a building.
• Provide a suitable means of escape in case of fire.
• Provide a means of conveying fittings and furniture between floor levels.

Parts of Staircase

• Step: It is a portion of stairs that permits ascent & descent.
• Tread: It is the upper horizontal portion of the step upon which the feet are placed.
• Riser: The vertical portion between each tread on the stair.
• Handrail: A handrail is a rail that is designed to be grasped by the hand to provide stability or support.
• Baluster: It is a vertical member of wood or metal supporting the handrail.
• Newel Post: This is the vertical member which is placed at the ends of flights to connect the handrail.
• Run: It is the total length of stairs in a horizontal plane, including landings.
• Nosing: It is the projecting part of the tread beyond the face of the riser. It is rounded to give a good architectural effect.
• String or Stingers: These are the sloping wooden members which support the steps in a stair. They run along the slope of the stair.
• Winder: Winder Treads for stairs are intended for use on staircases that include winder steps. These are the triangular steps that are narrower on one side than the other. They change the direction of the staircase and are an alternative to a landing.
• Landing:  A landing is an area of a floor near the top or bottom step of a staircase. An intermediate landing is a small platform that is built as part of the stair between main floor levels and is typically used to allow stairs to change directions, or to allow the user a rest.