Supply System

This is the reverse of the extract ventilation method, in that the air is positively
introduced into the room or an enclosure by means of fans, thereby creating a
pressure within the enclosed space. Naturally, too high an air pressure cannot be
tolerated with comfort and suitable outlets must therefore be arranged to allow the
air to flow out of the room
In practice the supply systed is frequently employed where fresh air only is to be
used, e.g., in operating theatre suites, since full control is maintained over the air
introduced including its heating, cooling and filtering. However, where
circumstances permit the use of recirculation, it is a relatively simpler matter to
arrange for regulated amounts of air, at room temperature, to be returned through
the fan system thus achieving economy on heating or cooling loads.
Balanced Ventilation
This is the only method which can be relied upon to give satisfactory results under
all conditions, as the air movements can be definitely regulated at all points from
inlet to extract point. A disadvantage of the balanced system is that it is dependant
for successful operation on the closing of all windows and it is liable to cause
complaint in offices and other buildings where normally the windows may be
opened at the discretion of the occupants.
S,%Q11
Vv-h,.: wgii undhbf$i;lr::!i j j Air c;i;;rrgs '

6.10 STAIRS
In buildings having more than one storey, stairs are provided for vertical movement of
occupants between the floors. Stairs consist of a series of steps and landings that makes it
possible for people to go up or down on foot with ease. Stairs are basically composed of
treads, which are the flat horizontal portions of the steps, and risers, which are the vertical
parts between the two steps. The projecting edge of a step which is usually rounded is called
nosing. Handrails are provided at the exposed sides of a stair to prevent people from falling
down, and these are supported on vertical members called balusters. Posts at the top and
bottom of a stair which have to be stronger than the rest are known as newels. The enclosure
containing the set of steps and landing is known as the staircase. While planning and
designing stairs it is important to ensure that there is sufficient headroom, which is the
minimum clear vertical distance between the tread of a step and the bottom of the flight or
landing immediately above the user. Figure 6.44 shows the various parts of a flight of stairs.
Stairs can be made from various materials like timber, bricks, stones, steel, plain concrete or
reinforced cement concrete. The selection of material depends on the type of structure, * '
availability of materials and finances available, life of a building, aesthetical considerations,
fm resistance requirements, etc.
The number of stairs to be provided in a building is dependent on the usage of the building
and is generally, governed by the requirements stipulated in the local building bye laws. For
public buildings the codes require at least two staircases with reference to fire safety
considerations. The maximum horizontal distance from any point in a floor upto the stair is
also generally stipulated and may be of the order of 30x11. The width of the stairway
governs the exit capacity, and for public buildings it is about 1.8 m,whereas for residential
ones it could be 0.9 m.
Stairs should be located such that they are easily accessible. It has to be ensured that there is
sufficient light and ventilation in the staircase.
 -
Figure 6 4 4 :Elements of Stair

6.10.1 Types of Stairs

Various types of stairs are available for incorporating in the design of a building as shown in
Figure 6.44 :
Straight Stairs
In this type, there is a straight flight of stairs, with or without intermediate landings.
Dog Legged Stairs
This consists of two straight flights of steps with usually a level landing where the
direction of traval changes by 180'. If there is constraint of space, winders, which
are steps with tapered treads, i.e. triangular in plan, can be provided instead of a
half landing.
Open Well Stairs
It consists of two or more straight flights with a central well. There could be
quarter landings or winders at the comers.
Winders are not allowed in stairs that are to be used as exits during emergencies.
Geometrical Stairs
This type of a stair is similar to the open well type, but instead of having quarter
landings or winders at the comers the stair follows a curve with winders which are
less sharp than those in the open well.
A spiral staircase is a form of geometrical staircase, which is without a well with
its steps consisting of a series of winders going round a central post.
Size of Treads and Risers
For convenience in performing movements, the tread should be wide enough and the risers
should not be too high. Very high risers and narrow treads are difficult to negotiate. A
suitable balance has to be arrived.at taking into account the cost and comfort. Some of the
thumb rules to obtain proper tread (cm) and riser (cm) dimensions are listed as under :
(a) The product of riser height and tread width should be between 450 and 480.
(b) Riser height plus tread width should range between 43 and 45.
(c) The sum of the tread width and twice the riser height has to be 61 to 64.
6.10.2 Material Classification of Stairs
In earlier days, timber stairs were widely used, but with the advent of concrete construction,
stairs are now mostly made of reinforced cement concrete.
In wooden stairs, the treads are made of abrasion resistant wood such as oak, teak, etc. while
the risers could be of softer wood like deodar, pine, etc. The thickness of the tread is
generally, 30 to 32 m n and that of the risers 25 mm. The tread and riser are connected by a
tongue and groove joint, and also screwed or nailed together.
The treads and risers are supported on one or more stringer beams (also h o w n as
carriages). Upper edges of these beams are cut to receive the risers and treads. Stringers are
supported on transverse beams known as headers.
 ' S T R A I G ~ T FLICItT QUARTER TURN DOG LEGGED
NEWEL

OWN WCLL OPEN W L U QUA6tff.R tURN

NEWEL GEOMIT~ICAL GEI~MCIRICIL

HUII TURN
GEOMLTRICAL
-
QM 6.45 :Various Qpes d Stairs

For stone stairs, the stones should be durable and weather resistant. Being heavy ip weight,
they require adequate supports and are not commonly used except for monumental
buildings or for front entrances of public buildings.
Steel stairs can be made of risers, and treads of cold fonned steel or floor plates. These are
supported at the ends by carrier angles which in turn are fastened to inclined stringers. Their
use is generally restricted to factories, godowns etc.
Nowadays most of the stairs are built of RCC having following advantages :
Concrete can be moulded to the required form; it has fue resistant qualities; it can be
designed to suit the given width and span; and requires hardly any maintenance. As RCC
can be cast at site, unlike other materials, it is easy to adjust the heights of risers and widths
of treads to the actual dimensions of the staircase as may have already been constructed.
These stairs are generally designed as slabs spanning between beams. They can also be
designed as cantilevered steps.
Escalators
In public buildings where there is a large valume of pedestrian movement between
floors, moving stairs, which are powered by electric motors, are provided and these
are called escalators.
Lifts Doom, Windows .
Pad S t a h
For speedy vertical movement particularly in tall buildings, having many floors,
lifts are used. These are provided in shafts and are generally operated by
machinery run on electricity provided at the top, above the last floor to which
access is to be provided. There are openings in the shaft onto each floor level with
automatically operated doors which open and close along with the lift car doors,

6.103 Layout of Staircases

The layout of staircases is influenced by the space available for the canstmotion of
stairs, and the height between the two floors.
A few examples are worked out below to illustrate the layout of staircases.
Example 6.1
The stair of a residential building is to be located in a staircase measuring
1.5 m x 4.5 m. If the vertical distance between the floors is 3 m, draw a layout plan
of the proposed stairs.
Solution
Since the width of the staircase is @;en as 1.5 m, it is not possible to take any turn
in this limited space. Moreover, the length of the stair is also 4.5 m, so the
provision of a landing is also not feasible to climb a vertical height of 3 m. Thus, in
this case, straight flight stairs will be provided.

Assuming a rise of 20 cm, the required number of risers, R = -

300 - 15
20
Number of treads to be provided, T = R - 1 = 15 - 1 = 14
It is proposed to keep the width of tread = 25 cm
Space occupied by 14 treads = 25 x 14 = 350 cm = 3.5 cm
Space left for passage = 4.5 - 3.5 = 1 m
The layout is shown in Figure 6.46.

Figure 6.46 :Layout of stmight Flight StPirs

BU&~ Construction Example 6.2
A suitable stair is to be provided in an office building. The staircase has the
dimensions 2.8 m x 6 m. The vertical distance between the floors is 3.6 m. Bvo
doors measuring 1.2 m each are provided in the longitudinal walls, facing each
other and located 50 cm from the transverse wall.
Solution
Assume, the width of the stair = 1.3 m
Since the width of the staircase is 2.8 m, a half turn stair can be provided. The
direction of the flight is reserved by the introduction of a half-space landing, and
thus two flights shall be provided. The width of the landing will be kept equal to
the width of the stair.
Space available in the centre of the staircase = 2.8 - (2 x 1.3) = 0.2 m
Since this space is limited, a dog-legged stair will be provided.
3.6
Height of each flight = - = 1.8 m
2
180
Assuming a rise of 16 cm'hthe required number of risers = - = 11.25 say 11
16
180
Exact rise of each step = - = 16.35 cm (say)
11
Numbers of treads to be provided in each flight, T = R - 1 = 11 - 1 = 10.
Keeping the width of tread as 27 cm, we have,
Space taken by 10 treads = 27 x 10 = 270 cm = 2.7 m
Space left for passage = 6 - 2.7 -- 1.3 = 2 m
The arrangement of the steps and doors is shown in Figure 6.47.

FSgan 6.47 :Layout ot a Dog Legged Half ?Lra Stain

Example 6.3 i

A stair is to be located for an office in a staircase hall measuring 4.35 m x 5 m. The

vertical distance between the floors is 4 m. Draw a dimensioned plan of the
proposed stair.
Solution
Since it is a public building, the width of the stair should be adequate for the
number of people expected to use them
Assume stair width = 1.5 m
Space available in the centre of the staircase = 4.35 - (2 x 1.5) = 1.35 m
Hence, an open well type of stair shall be provided.

Taking a rise of 16 cm, the required number of risers = 400

16
= 25
 If two flights are provided, number of risers shall be 12 and 13. However, being a Doors,Windom
public building, the number of steps in one flight should be restricted to 10. Hence, snd Staim
provide 5 treads in the landing portion and make the stair of quarter-space landing
type. This requires providing 9 treads each in the other two flights.
:. Total number of risers needed to provide 23 treads in three flights
= 2 3 + 3 = 26

400 = 15.4 cm
Hence, height of each riser = -
26
Adopting tread width of 27 cm, space occupied by 9 treads
= 9 x 27 = 243 cm = 2.43 m

The arrangement of steps is shown in Figure 6.48.

Figure'6.48 :Layout of an Open Wail Type Staircase

6.11 SUMMARY