House of Stairs

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And then the machine encourages them to turn on one another. Hit, betray, lie—and be rewarded with food. Refuse, and starve.

There are 'free' people and Escher said of these: 'recalcitrant individuals refuse, for the time being, to take part in the exercise of treading the stairs. They have no use for it at all, but no doubt, sooner or later they will be brought to see the error of their non-conformity.' RiseThe vertical distance from the top of the tread to the top of the next one. Building Regs specify a minimum distance of 150mm to a maximum of 220mm. The total rise is the vertical distance from the floor to the floor of the level above. I first read the synopsis for this a few years ago and the concept immediately caught my attention. Set in an unknown but clearly dystopian future, we follow five kids in their early teens who are suddenly dumped alone on a never ending room of stairs. There is a machine that spits out food but only when the group perform certain actions which they have to determine by trial and error. When the machine starts rewarding violence of the physical and psychological types the kids are pushed to either follow directions of take a stand for what they believe in. Handrails & Guards/Guardrails: A handrail is a railing that runs up a stair incline for users to hold when ascending or descending a staircase. A guard is "a building component or a system of building components located near the open sides of elevated walking surfaces that minimizes the possibility of a fall from the walking surface to the lower level." Guards can include rails (guardrails), but can be any number of other constructions such as walls, half-walls, or even a bench. Run/Tread: The run or tread is the part of the stairway that a person steps on. Its length is measured from the outer edge of the step, which includes the nosing if it is present, to the vertical portion of the stair called the riser. Both nosing and riser are discussed below. When measuring the total run of a staircase, the length of the tread above the last riser is not included in the measurement. Also, when nosing is present, the total run is not simply the sum of tread length, since the overhang caused by the nosing must be subtracted from the total run.The House of Stairs tells a dizzying tale of tale of psychological suspense. Like other novels by Vine it employ two timelines and explores the haunting effects of the past on the present. ‘The present’ features characters whose lives have been altered by an often unspecified accident and or crime. The second timeline, narrated from the retrospective, focuses on their past, and in particular on the events leading to that ‘one big event’. Vine does not limit herself to recounting past occurrences, instead she allows her characters to re-examine their own actions, as well as attempting to understand the motivations behind those of others. The past and present flow into each other, and throughout her narratives Vine traces both a crime’s roots and its subsequent ramifications. A contemporary glazed roof over the rebuilt side extension on the lower ground floor floods the interior of the property with glorious natural light. A large angled rooflight over the stairway is bonded to the end of the flat glass rooflights over the side extension. This provides a seamless transition as you move through the different levels of the property and directs the eye downwards into extended areas making the room feel much bigger. The SUNFLEX bifold doors at the rear of the kitchen leading into the garden link the internal and external spaces extremely well. More lovely light cascades in through the doors, whether they are open or shut. A cute window seat makes for a fabulous personal space to be able to enjoy the outside views within the comfort of the home too. Costs:They rarely come cheap, particularly if buying from specialists. The key to a low-cost yet striking staircase is to combine materials and be clever when choosing your supplier. Having a local glassworks make panels for your balustrading before combining them with a softwood staircase made by a joiner, for example, will work out to be cheaper than going to a specialist. Metal Staircases With such anelevated place within the home, staircases demand just as much decorative thought and polish as the rest of the house. Staircases, for example, are perfect places for trendy wallpaper or a splash of unexpected color. Unique lighting, an artsy collection, and eye-catching runners are other excellent ways to bring life to a staircase. Finally, hand-forged iron or bespoke fretwork banisters can transform steps into sculptural works of art.

Even though it's not explicitly defined in every building code, you should make sure that the space below the railing is small enough that a child can't squeeze through it and fall (for example, a 4" diameter sphere is not allowed to pass through). Building codes generally require guards for stairs that have a total rise of more than 30 inches above the floor, and require that these guards be at least 34 inches (86.36 cm) in height measured from the top of the treads. Similarly, handrails must be between 34 and 38 (96.52) inches high measured from the top of the treads, with a diameter between 1.25 inches (3.18 cm) and 2.675 inches (6.79 cm). In it one can see the interior of a very tall structure full of stairs and doorways. There are 46 creatures crawling up and down the stairs. These lizard-like creatures were created by Escher and they are referred to as “wentelteefje.” Theme The Model 500 staircase from Complete Stair Systems is a contemporary, open flight that can be fully customised with your choice of configuration, tread, stringer, handrail and riser and balustrade infill options. (Image credit: Complete Stair Systems) The worldbuilding is nice with just enough tidbits thrown in to make me want to know more. We learn the boys and girls are separated until they are adults and in a relationship supposedly to prevent sexual mishaps. That some of the wealthy and members of the government live behind a wall in large houses whilst the rest of the population are denied such a luxury and in many cases not even aware the sort of lifestyle even exists. That the sitting President is a toady to his political advisors. It’s random stuff that often has no bearing on the story but it gives us a glimpse of what’s outside the room without ever actually letting us out.

Staircases serve as the home’s spine. They not only connect rooms and stories within a house, but they are frequently the first space a visitor encounters at the entryway. As a result, stairs must serve two functions: they must be both welcoming and useful. The spindles or balusters take up most of the space. These are the series of rods or columns extending from the top rail (another component) to the bottom rail (yet another component). The top rail is also called the handrail, an obvious reference to its role as the main hand support when going up or down the stairs. Styles & Designs Stairs come in many different forms, and while building a basic staircase may appear to be a simple task, there are actually a number of parameters, calculations, and building codes that must be considered. These range from the length, width, and height of specific parts of the stairs, to where doors are placed in relation to stairs; the arc of a door must be completely on the landing or floor and not be allowed to swing over steps. Below is a list of some of the most common terminology regarding stairs, as well as some commonly used building codes. Building codes or requirements can differ at a local level, and a person building a staircase should refer to the codes specific to their locations.

Every home will have different requirements when it comes to staircase design and so the position of your staircase should be based on your own layout. House of Stairs (1974), a science fiction novel by William Sleator, takes place mostly in the peculiar setting of a house of stairs, resembling the visual paradox of the same name designed by M.C. Escher. It follows five teenaged orphans who are abducted and placed in the house of stairs as an unethical experiment in social dynamics. The teenagers band together to find out the truth about the place where they are being held in captivity. The book is well known in the sci-fi genre for its unique take on a futuristic dystopian society, posing one possible outcome of a government that exploits its people, but also vindicating the inherent goodness of humans as the teenagers learn to work together. Eventually, the machine no longer responds to dancing. They notice that instead, it responds to arguing. The group experiments to exploit the machine: Blossom says that Lola has been saying mean things about everyone; everyone looks at Lola with revulsion. In response, the machine dispenses a huge amount of food.Wooden staircases for traditional homes tend to be characterised by their substantial nature, rounded stair nosing, turned balusters and carved newel posts. However, timber can also be used in contemporary staircase design where it is often seen in the form of chunky wooden treads that cantilever out from a wall. Lizzie hasn't seen her old friend, Bell, for some fourteen years, but when she spots her from a taxi in a London street she jumps out and pursues her despite 'all the terrible things' that passed between them. As Lizzie reveals those events, little by little, the women rekindle their friendship, with terrifying results ...