Types of staircases in building

• STRAIGHT STAIRS

This is the simplest type of staircase – it goes from one floor to the next in a straight line with no changes in direction. They are common in both homes and businesses. Sometimes, straight stairs have a small landing halfway up, especially if they are more than 12 feet high.

• L SHAPE STAIRS

L-shaped stairs are a variation of the straight staircase design, with a bend in some portion of the stair. This design usually features a 90-degree bend, achieved by adding a landing.

• WINDER OR WINDING STAIRS

Winding stairs are similar to the L shaped stair but instead of a flat landing, the steps are angled to create the bend. They are often used as a secondary staircase, particularly in older homes. In these cases, the winding stair is often used as an access to the kitchen while a grand staircase is more prominently located in the foyer.

• U SHAPE OR HALF TURN STAIRS

U shaped stairs have a curved landing or rounded steps in the middle, making a half turn. If you’ve ever seen the stairs in an office building and promised yourself you’d take them every day, you’ve seen this basic style. The bend can be taken even further to form a full U shape, with a landing in the middle to separate the two parallel flights.

• 180 DEGREE OR SWITCHBACK STAIRS

Switchback or 180-degree stairs are very similar to U shaped stairs. They too consist of two parallel flights of stairs, but joined by a flat landing instead of rounded steps.

• SPIRAL STAIRCASE

Spiral stairs are very compact, with treads radiating around a center support pole. It would form a perfect circle if you looked at it from above. Remember that the narrow wedge-shaped treads may not be the easiest to traverse.

• CURVED OR CIRCULAR STAIRS

A curved staircase has no landings and continues in one smooth line, following the curve of the banister. They are often much larger than winder or L-shaped staircases and make a dramatic architectural statement. They are often located at the entrance of a home.

• BIFURCATED STAIRS OR SPLIT STAIRCASES

Bifurcated stairs are defined by a staircase splitting into two, as may be inferred from the “bi” in its name. The grandest of them all—this is the style of the iconic Titanic staircase—bifurcated stairs include one sweeping set of steps that splits off into two smaller flights going in opposite directions.

This type of staircase, typically found in large, grand estates or commercial structures, involves two flights of stairs that either meet at a landing or at the top. We found that a variation of this type of staircase, with a quarter turn mixed in, was perfect for a modern farmhouse-styled home.

• FLOATING STAIRS

Another type of stairs you should be familiar with is Floating Stairs.
By definition, a flight of stairs is said to be “floating” if the space underneath the staircase is open. Most floating staircases do not have risers which create the illusion that each step is floating. Floating stairs are typically either fully opened or partially opened.
Floating steps can take on the shape of almost any of the aforementioned styles. They are customarily found in more contemporary or industrial style homes.
The two examples above look very similar, however, you should note that the photo on the left shows a staircase with a single stringer design and the one on the right features two stringers. Stringers are the support beams you see underneath the stairs running the length from the lower level to the top level. Also, the right staircase incorporates a landing in the switchback design we learned about earlier.