Plate LVI. Internal Staircases with “Returned” Flights

Plate LVI. — A “dog-leg” staircase, placed off a corridor with ample space for landings, is shown in No. I: this represents the simplest type of staircase with “returned” flights. In No. II is shown an extension of the theory of the “dog-leg” arrangement, with the addition of a small open space or “well” between the flights, a preferable arrangement to be followed whenever permitted by the width of the staircase. A three-way staircase is given in No. III, the central flight being the main ascent from the ground floor to the first landing, whence parallel returned flights rise on either side. It is desirable in a staircase of this type to make the width of the lower flight slightly greater than that of the upper ones: this triple form is useful when a dignified approach is required on a small scale. No. IV shows the principle of No. I applied on either side of a central vestibule, and No. V shows the adaptation of type No. III with the addition of either large or small “well” openings between the flights, the vista from the vestibule being directed to the enclosing walls of the staircase. This arrangement, as seen in the section No. VI, admits of the introduction of a large central top-lighted landing giving access to suites of apartments on the upper level in two directions. Such a disposition is eminently suited to buildings in which architectural display is desirable.