Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

John Templer has written the first theoretical, historical, and scientific analysis of one of the most basic and universal building elements: the stair. Together, these two volumes present a detailed study of stairs and ramps -- the art and science of their design, their history, and their hazards.

For the designer and the art and architectural historian, the first volume treats the fascinating history of stairs and their immense influence on the art and science of architecture. It is illustrated with more than 100 photographs from around the world and reviews the literature on stairs (as well as ladders and railings and ramps) from Vitruvius to Venturi. Templer considers the whole play of meanings in the idea of the stair -- as art object, as structural idea, as legal prescription, or as poetic fancy -- making it clear that the stair is simultaneously an aesthetic, architectonic, ergonomic, and cultural element. The second volume shows the dangers stairs present. Drawing on twenty years of human factors research on stairs, Templer sets out what is known about slips, trips, and falls and how best to design stairs to avoid their inherent dangers. He discusses the physiological and behavioral relationship between humans and stairs and walkways, the question of gait and slippery surfaces, and the various types of falls and the injuries that result. Perhaps most importantly, Templer proposes the idea of the soft stair, which could substantially reduce the annual epidemic of stair-related deaths and injuries.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

An expert on legal cases involving bodily injury caused by falls on stairways, John Templer is the Regents' Professor of Architecture at Georgia Institute of Technology. The Staircase is the first theoretical, historical, and scientific analysis on one of the most basic and universal building elements, the stair. It is probably the most comprehensive document on the subject ever written, and is illustrated with a generous number of black-and-white photographs and diagrams. The first volume, is a panoramic view of the architectural evolution of stairs, from Vitruvius to Venturi, identifying their immense influence on the art and science of architecture. The second volume gives definitive guidelines for stair and ramp design supported by human movement and safety research, including a discussion of the physiological and behavioral relationship between humans and stairs. Although the nature of the subject might be interesting to the public in general, the primary audience would be those who design stairs, manage the use of them, or those who may be involved in stair-related accident litigations. R. P. Meden Marymount University