\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nInitially, the owners were looking to extend an existing bungalow which stood on the plo<\/span>t<\/span>. However, during the planning stage it became clear that it was better to demolish the existing home and create a new one from scratch<\/span>,<\/span> which <\/span>was<\/span> highly sustainable<\/span> and <\/span>built around the owners<\/span>\u2019<\/span> needs<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe new home design has<\/span> a ridge height which is <\/span>similar to<\/span> the surrounding bungalows but <\/span>also incorporates bedrooms on a second floor<\/span>. To provide access to this, they envisaged a helical staircase<\/span> within the entrance hall<\/span> leading up to a <\/span>mezzanine gallery<\/span>,<\/span> which provides views across the main sitting room and out through the large south-facing glazing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span>Creating the staircase<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\nHaving obtained planning permission, <\/span>Jonathan Lees Architects <\/span>developed the initial designs for the staircase and connecting gallery<\/span>.<\/span> The original concept for the stairs was that of a Nautilus shell, with the curved conical nature of the stairs reflecting the geometry of the shell and the plain, upright balusters representing the ribs in the structure.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nJonathan Lees Architects approached us to develop and engineer these plans through to the finished staircase. <\/span>The connection between the mezzanine walkway and the staircase was already designed so we had to carefully <\/span>model the staircase <\/span>with CAD<\/span> to <\/span>ensure it <\/span>accurately int<\/span>erfaced <\/span>with this<\/span> and delivered the high-quality aesthetic expected. This included<\/span> obtaining the structural calculations to prove the design.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAs with all aspects of the project, the materials <\/span>chosen for the staircase <\/span>had to be of the highest quality and to provide the longest possible lifespan. The structure, balusters and handrail are all formed from steel which has been powder coated to<\/span> colour<\/span> match with other metalwork within the property<\/span>,<\/span> includ<\/span>ing<\/span> the<\/span> glazed doors which lead into the spaces<\/span> directly<\/span> adjoin<\/span>ing<\/span> the entrance hall<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t