Buko, Beverwijk [NL]

EeStairs + Ditt Officemakers | Almelo

The feature staircase that EeStairs made for the offices of the BUKO construction and infrastructure firm in Beverwijk, Holland, was unusual. You could say that the treads and risers have a split personality: the double-height risers on one side of the staircase look like concrete, while the steps on the other side are darkly patinated steel.

The designers, DITT Officemakers, originally wanted a completely concrete staircase – but this would have been too heavy for the building’s structure to carry. So our in-house engineers and materials specialists supported DITT on the detailed design of a lighter, all-steel staircase that was more interesting aesthetically than pure concrete.

We applied a durable powder coating on the double-steps, and the RAL colour looks just like polished concrete. And the combination – smooth ‘concrete’ and burnished steel – looks great in relation to the dynamic steel ‘arrowhead’ formed by the handrail and slanted post at the base of the stairs.