It is said that designer Coco Chanel watched her fashion shows from above. She could stand at the top of the fashion house stairs and see the show from every angle thanks to the mirrors on the stairs. This inspired architectural practice Acme to employ modern wood technology and create at least as impressive a staircase, clad with mirrors on two sides to make a powerful yet playful statement.
The staircase runs from the design office’s lower floor up to the floor above. There were no existing stairs linking the two floors, so a hole was cut ultrasonically between them and then the new staircase was constructed in just five days. Every step was CNC milled from spruce glulam laid horizontally. Each level comprises six glulam components that have been screwed into the step below to make the structure stable.
On the lower level, the staircase splits into two spiral branches that meet again higher up, where they form a landing for spontaneous meetings or, like Chanel, just to watch the activity on the floor below.
w| macme.ac
