Best Staircases- BBC
19 November 2013
The most spectacular staircases in the world
To see all the staircases, go to:
- Infinity and beyond
- The
architecture of the staircase combines form and function, upper and
lower space. It can represent power or status, or symbolise spiritual
elevation and the climb to knowledge. A new book published by Thames
& Hudson, The Staircase: The Architecture of Ascent
explores the history and meaning of the staircase, from the simple,
straight-flight steps of the Mayan pyramids, to the radical spiral ramp
of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum and the computer-aided designs
of today.
The steps of the Toltec-Maya pyramid at Chichen Itza, Mexico are an
early example of the simple, straight-flight staircase - the ancestor of
all stair design. Appearing to stretch up to the sky, this style of
staircase came to symbolise an ascent to heaven and infinity, and has
captured artists’ imaginations from the Odessa Steps in Eisenstein’s
film Battleship Potemkin to the steps in Orson Welles’s The Trial. (All
images courtesy of Thames & Hudson from The Staircase: The
Architecture of Ascent by Oscar Tusquets Blanca, Martine Diot, Adelaïde
de Savray, Jérôme Coignard and Jean Dethier.)
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