The design of the stairs at the Samsung building necessitated a finite element analysis of a free spanning spiral staircase. In order to keep a thin profile and not have any intermediate supports, the curved balustrades act as deep beams and provide stiffness to the staircase.
A harmonic analysis was undertaken to ensure that vibrations and accelerations were within acceptable limits for a number of different loading scenarios.
The fixing into the existing concrete structure proved to be quite tricky as the stiffness gained from having semi-rigid supports was vital to the serviceability of the staircase.
Leave a comment