I love the design of these stairs and how they incorporate a wheelchair access ramp.

MistrBones · 4 months

For the wheelchair bound, it's like Marble Madness, and YOU get to be the marble.

Gordnfreeman · 4 months

looks cool but you better hope you dont roll off the side

YellowOrange · 4 months

I wonder how a blind person with a cane would navigate those stairs.

munge_me_not · 4 months

wheel chair accident ramp.

post_skriptum · 4 months

at aachen, germany there's one as well: http://nullbarriere.de/images/wissenswert/aussenanlagen/freitreppe-aachen-fg.jpg a bit ironic though since it's been built for an insurance company and people stumble down quiet often - espescially when drunk

Fancey514 · 4 months

That's right, make them work for it.

peacefrog314 · 4 months

similar "stramp" in the student center at IIT http://i.imgur.com/6nHRJ.jpg

DriveDrunkFuckSluts · 4 months

i bet skaters like it too

yveedrips · 4 months

[deleted]

esaba · 4 months

I thought it looked familiar. Here are very similar steps at UCI.

On a side note, the UCI Science Library (to the right) was designed to be a facsimile of the female reproductive system. The "sun" mosaic just in front is a sperm head with tail.

deviantbono · 4 months

Been visiting r/Architecture I see...

Drunken_Economist · 4 months

Doesn't look ADA-compliant to me.

Zigguraticus · 4 months

If you like that then you should like Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland, OR even more.

anvious · 4 months

Robson Square, Vancouver, Canada by Arthur Erickson for those that are wondering. A wonderful three block public square anchored by art museum, law courts, and government offices underneath.

hgeyer99 · 4 months

lots of rolled ankles here

bassfunk · 4 months

My college has a stair case ramp combo like this in the cafeteria, usually referred to as a "stramp." It is hands down one of the most inconvenient things to walk up and down on a daily basis, regardless of the number of people around or people using the ramp portion. Ours is not very good looking either.

jdmulloy · 4 months

This is a fantastic example of the problem with most modern Architecture. Architects drool over stuff like this because it's aesthetically pleasing and "out of the box", but it's actually completely impractical and in this case dangerous.

crimsonninja · 4 months

Great, now the person in the wheelchair has a chance to get in EVERYONE'S way

delbin · 4 months

A fairly interesting idea, but he probably should have left some uninterrupted stairs with a handrail on either side. I imagine lots of people tripping on that.

waffleninja · 4 months

It's incredibly dangerous. That's why you don't see more of it.

JBu92 · 4 months

no handrails on the ramp
uneven stair surfaces (step on a corner of one of the stairs, I dare ya)
ergo, wouldn't meet code. interesting design, but it's just not up to spec.

gakpad · 4 months

I can see the thought put into it, but it seems like a huge pain in the ass for those in wheelchairs, more than tripling the distance they have to travel up and causing them to make some really awkward stops and turns. Meh, I wouldn't put this in my building.

turnleftdale · 4 months

Looks like a great set of stairs to trip down.

ThePhenix · 4 months

Not really suited for either I'd say. Awkward foot strides, and no guardrails.

gyomalin · 4 months

In practical terms, I've been to a university where they have stairs like that and they're pretty dangerous to unsuspecting people.

It's easy to be distracted and assume that the steps are nothing special. You're thinking about some math problem that you're working on (hey, it's university !) and then you trip on the stupid irregular stairs.

HatesTheAwwlocaust · 4 months

You would need some serious upper body strength to get up that slope. But it is definitely a neat design.

[deleted] · 4 months

This would suck if your wasted. Definetly a purposely-built mindfuck for drunk people.

[deleted] · 4 months

Lots of crossing paths for no reason. It looks cool but not at all functional.

M1n1true · 4 months

These stairs look like the wheelchair equivalent of a cliffside winding road. Sure it looks cool for action movies and non-Historic History Channel shows, but pity the brave soul who decides to make almost 180 degree turns while people are walking down perpendicular to him/her.

TL;DL: Action movie in the making.

nomoex · 4 months

Civil engineer here, I'm sure that's a pretty bad idea.

SikhGamer · 4 months

It looks nice, but in reality that would be awful for walkers and non-walkers. Can you imagine it on a busy day? The non-walker would interrupt the flow of the walkers causing a backlog. Then no doubt they [the non-walker(s)] would get tired rolling themselves up. So they would roll back down. Not to mention no guard rails or anything like that.

And considering it's Canada, what about when it gets snowy/icy? HEALTH AND SAFETY DISASTER!

SKSmokes · 4 months

It looks cool, but the engineer in me screams impracticability:
1) Railings are very important. 2) Interaction between the wheelchairs and people walking could get messy 3) It is easier for wheelchairs to get 'stuck' on each of the steps it angles across going down (i.e. there are no base 'safety walls' to prevent the wheelchair from going awry.

dudleydidwrong · 4 months

Stairs are inherently dangerous. If they had been invented after OSHA they never would have been allowed.

In truth the need for flights of stairs like the one shown above reflect poor architecture in my opinion. Buildings that minimize the need for stairs generally benefit everyone, not just people in wheel chairs.

BobCollins · 4 months

The right-brain artist needed a left-brain consultant. This design is pretty but has very poor functionality for both walkers and wheelchair users.

lionelchu · 4 months

You could do so many cool skateboard tricks with that.

beyerch · 4 months

I actually hate that design because of how inefficient it is.

Not only does the handicapped person have a very long route to take, the ramp interrupts the flow of people using the stairs frequently.....

What a mess.

Airazz · 4 months

My uni has similar stairs, but with fewer steps.

sweetdaddy · 4 months

robson square! so happy to see Vancouver make it to the front page!

Lloydbanksdeekay · 4 months

People in wheelchairs are so lazy.. Use the damn stairs like the rest of us

[deleted] · 4 months

Some EA Skate shit right here.

Vaypo · 4 months

I wonder if they have Marble Madness tournaments there...

68173464234831863456 · 4 months

i really admire the design of these stairs and how they incorporate a wheelchair access ramp. in a world were barrier free design is essential to living a full and happy life, its amazing to see landscape architect Cornelia Oberlander has taken literal steps to design stairs AROUND a ramp, instead of the other way around.

RE: in response to amount of discussion ive been getting with this photo, id like to put my opinion in the mix, as some people have been getting quiet upset about this.

for those of you who arent studying architecture, the inclusion of barrier free design in modern architecture and civil projects has been a very positive addition. with a large portion of north america’s population entering their elderly age, the need for barrier free entrances, exits, pathways and vertical elevation devices is a must, and it makes sense.

there are a few people who have negatively commented that perhaps the ramp is a a little too steep, that including the ramp in the middle of the stairs is degrading to a person with a disability and that these citizens are “getting in the way” of able-bodied people, who are walking up the stairs. i am very glad this design has brought up these issues, and it only continues to prove that there are still kinks to work out in barrier free design.

my take: after analyzing the picture, i have discovered 2 things:

as i live in Ontario, Canada, i will reference the Ontario Building Code: “barrier free ramps” are allowed a maximum slope of 1:12 (4.7 degree slope). my best guess from the stairs in this picture, there is a 1:2 (26.5 degree slope). that being said, this stair design is in Vancouver, British Columbia and doesnt follow the Ontario Building Code. fortunately, BC does have a similar building code, and the 26 degree slope makes this a non-barrier free ramp. on the other hand though, there was no mention of this ramp even being built to barrier free standards, BUT persons with wheelchair-required disables could still find this ramp useful if used with an able-bodied care taker.
my response to the idea that the ramp degrades disabled persons since they are crossing the path of able-bodied, and have a longer route, is the exact OPPOSITE. please think to yourself the last time you noticed a barrier free ramp that was one of the main entrance ways, and not off to the side, away from the main set of stairs. the idea of this design was to incorporate the ramp into the stairs, thereby giving respect to the disabled persons, and combining both entrances into a single, equal entrance. i strongly believe this is a fantastic way of viewing society as one group of people with different needs, rather than separate groups with different abilities.

thanks for your time guys, i appreciate the feedback. let me know what your take on it is :)

PocketOSunshine · 4 months

Love the design, my arthritic knees give two knee caps up!

TheAztec · 4 months

Things like this want me to dust off my old heelies, squeeze into them and go for a joy ride.

Levy_Wilson · 4 months

Looks more for bikes to get up the stairs than anything else.

leonprimrose · 4 months

god help you if you screw up the turn

zHellas · 4 months

You'd think the connecting turns to each slope would be curved and not blocky, so that a line of wheelchair users wouldn't have to stop, turn and then go down to the next turn and do the same thing.

thewesticle · 4 months

This is one of those magical moments in life when all that comes to mind are skateboard tricks.

spicyboldbbq · 4 months

I can imagine being drunk as hell walking home from the bar and being presented with this challenge.

Fire_Godd · 4 months

We shall call it... Drunk Man's Folly.

Breze · 4 months

Thats across from the Vancouver Art gallery, i longed boarded down that!

Thisisopposite · 4 months

Looks nice but walking down them would be awkward.

AmazingSimply · 4 months

Think of how inconvenient this would be for someone in a wheelchair, a zig-zag path through the middle of stairs everyone is walking up/down. The conventional path of a straight line is optimal since it's the shortest distance from point A to point B without awkward corners. I mean if you were to be in a wheelchair and had to make a turn on a point like in this photo while risking rolling off the stairs if you go backwards or to far to the side. It looks cool, but what an awful design for it's intended purpose.

fflexz · 4 months

looks cool until the guy in the wheelchair cuts you off over and over again. and what are you going to do about it? he's in a wheelchair.

Dyltra · 4 months

If I was new to the wheelchair, I would never make it to the top. I would end up in a full body cast.

RXkings · 4 months

I want to skate it.

Dristig · 4 months

The ADA doesn't let us have nice things.

Here_for_the_cookies · 4 months

Ever walked up one? Annoying as hell, they are super flat

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