Floating Stairs Building Code
1915030 Flotation and stability.
Floating stairs building code. The code establishes a maximum vertical height of 147 inches 12 feet 3 inches between landings or floor levels for a flight of stairs. List the International Building Code IBC criteria that the design of a floating staircase must satisfy to be considered code compliant. Floating stairs are entirely safe if they meet building codes.
Because the floating staircase is a cantilever beam structure therefore the general width of the stairs should not exceed 42 inches the wall holding the floating stair stringer must be strong enough AustraliaNew Zealand Stair Design Standard. Demax Arch will suggest the best stair solution on the upper opening size and floor height. If the distance between floor levels exceed 147 inches the flight of stairs would require a level landing somewhere in-between to break up the flight of stairs.
The step rise should be a minimum of 4 inches and a maximum of 7 inches. To ensure the safety of our floating staircases Keuka Studios does the following. Unless youre an architect engineer and metal fabricator the chances of building a floating staircase on your own is slim.
Please check with your Local Building Officer. Per the IBC a floating stair must comply with the following minimal measurements. This can be achieved with thick treads or by adding a steel lip cables mesh or glass.
-We control the amount of space under each tread. Handrails should not be less than 36 inches in height. By following the applicable building codes safety concerns are all but alleviated.
However the very definition of floating stairs should make someone with small children take a moment to consider that floating actually means that there will be spaces gaps between treads that could potentially allow a small child to fit through or at least trip and hurt themselves. Staircase design complies with the International Building Code. All structural systems of all buildings and structures shall be designed connected and anchored to resist flotation collapse or permanent lateral movement due to structural loads and stresses from flooding equal to the design flood elevation.