Emmental Stairs by Biljana Jovanovic
Biljana Jovanovic, a croatian architect based in Budapest, Hungary, has sent us some images of stairs that were recently designed for a family apartment.

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Description from the designer:
The Emmental stairs was designed for a young creative family with an equisite design taste and an eye for details and their two children. They were just starting the refurbishment of their apartment and wanted interior stairs that would harmonize with the historic ambiance of the apartment and their aesthetic requirements, but also add an extra touch to their living space. Since it is centrally located in the apartment, it inevitably had to be treated as the focal points of the space. Its suspended encasement divides living room from dining room and kitchen. It provides certain level of intimacy without isolating these spaces. The circular perforations on the sides let the sunlight seep through, creating surfaces that change the dynamics of the whole interior. The motif for circles was inspired by large windows that another focus point of the apartment. As they remind a lot of holes in cheese, the project was named Emmental Stairs. Apart from being used for its original function, this “object” features a playful touch for children as well. It is used as an inspirational toy, that boosts their imagination and develops their creativity. Due to technical restraints the slope of the stairs had to be kept quite steep. This was somewhat eased through usage of angled treads that complements the visual effect of the stairs.
Visit Biljana Jovanovic’s website – here.
Photography by Gerardo Altemir
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Gustavo on 25 May 2011 at 8:34 am #
Great and smart work! Congartulations to the architect and the users!
paul on 25 May 2011 at 12:36 pm #
I can not see the ease in walking these steps at all. Angled treads, must be a nightmare for kids to adjust
Maira Evans on 25 May 2011 at 12:37 pm #
Amazing. Very inspired work!
Justin on 25 May 2011 at 12:53 pm #
No way those steps are safe.
Graham Roebeck on 25 May 2011 at 6:28 pm #
Will those stairs pass the rigours of the New Zealand Building Code? Unfortunately not. Playful, thoughtful, a light touch belies the hours or work behind.
Simply wonderful!
Tia on 25 May 2011 at 7:05 pm #
Very compact design works very well. Fresh wonderful design…
neri on 26 May 2011 at 7:26 am #
i luved the stairs but i agree with Paul and Justin..these are not safe not even for me but for kids
The Disgruntled Architect on 26 May 2011 at 8:58 am #
A little treacherous, yes, but incredibly playful and fun. Love the circle cutouts, kids really love to look through peep holes and shapes to play peek-a-boo, this was a really well thought through concept. Great interior!
VICTOR LARA on 26 May 2011 at 9:14 am #
Very creative design.
Designig for other human scale (kids) is very interesting work.
Congratulations.
Jill Moran on 26 May 2011 at 9:54 am #
The design is light and playful, but doesn’t meet at least U.S. building codes for stairs, most of which exist to provide safety for, among others, children. At some point, won’t the child get her head stuck in either one of the holes or between the open risers?
Suz on 26 May 2011 at 1:04 pm #
This doesn’t need to meet the US building code, because it’s not in the US.
Gabi on 26 May 2011 at 2:05 pm #
very nice and creative! You could sell these easily in Netherlands
Wim on 27 May 2011 at 2:12 pm #
Not only delightful and a good roomdivider, also a tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed a staircase from Falling Water House to the stream below, that just NOT touches the water, like this stair doesn’t touch the floor.
DominionD on 31 May 2011 at 10:31 am #
Completely captivating to look at. Not sure how the angled treads help mitigate the slope of the stairs though. It would be terrible to have navigate these on crutches or with a sprained ankle.
Divna on 02 Jun 2011 at 5:45 am #
Go,Biljana go on!