IRIS Tower Brussel [BE]
EeStairs + Atelier d'architecture de Genval + Pierre ACCARAIN - Marc BOUILLOT Architectes Associées s.a.
These stairs in the Iris Tower, Brussels, are notable for the unusual arrangement of tension-cables. And they also demonstrate that unexpected innovations can be designed and built within a given budget. The stairs were installed in a tight space on the 29th floor to meet the contractor Beddeleem’s just-in-time delivery schedule.
Initially, the intention was to use EeStairs’ well-proven TransParancy™ glass balustrades, which have no visible fixings. But the designers then asked if it would be possible to use full-height tension-cables. Our in-house design service found a solution – a zigzag pattern of black galvanized steel cables in the vertical plane between the stringers and the top rail of the stairwell parapets.
We developed the detailed layout of the cables, each of which were of a different length. And then it was of critical importance that the EeStairs installation team threaded and tensioned the cables precisely to ensure that they were aesthetically and structurally effective, and met the NBN 03-004 regulation relating to the performance of railings.
