Steps, Meeting Point, Theatre: The Staircase as Social Medium

What contemporary functions does the staircase have other than getting people from one level to another? Fokkema & Partners was interviewed for the November issue of NOOK by BNI, which concentrates entirely on ‘the staircase’ as a phenomenon.  

We designed numerous staircases in recent years and saw the emergence of the grandstand staircase, which is functioning as a social medium in today’s offices.

An impromptu feeling comes into play – a grandstand does not need a reservation; it is always available. Laura Atsma: “And when not being used, it’s also not empty space; rather, it evokes a sense of expectation, that something can always happen.”  

These spaces can generate spontaneous encounters, resulting in creative brainstorming, knowledge exchange, and collaboration.
Diederik Fokkema: “But it was less obvious to clients. We often hear: There is already a stairwell ten metres beyond that, isn’t there? Then we explain that this kind of open grandstand staircase is actually something completely different.”

Read the full article below: Steps, Meeting Point, Theatre: The Staircase as Social Medium - by Kirsten Hannema