Architectural details: Stairs

First of all: Stairs are an essential structure for crossing height differences – whether dynamic or elegant, modern or traditional, narrow or spacious. But beside this function as an article of daily use stairs are also a medium to express a specific way of living in a building, an area, a city. As a preferred meeting place or a setting for public events, stairs ensure and symbolize communication and movement.

The copiously illustrated book examines the architectural plurality of the urban staircase. From pared-down treads, to refined steps leading to breathtaking heights and to commanding open-air perrons – a plenitude of impressive photographs document the entire scope of stair design in Europe’s greatest cities.

The volume is part of a series, which is focused not on prominent buildings at large but on ingenious and extraordinary details.