Accessibility
Our client was scheduled for double hip replacement surgery and anticipated difficulty in negotiating the stair of her 1910 era home. She wanted a second handrail so that she would have ample grab points as she ascended the stair post surgery.
We found that the existing stair rail was actually fairly low and finding the right position for the new rail was done on site with our client. We also found that our client has very diminutive hands and finding the right diameter for the rail was tested with several options. The rail had to be strong enough to support the weight placed on it and it had to be inexpensive.
We conceived of the rail as an object, affixed to the wall like sculpture.We also came to understand the object like a ship’s half hull model, often made of similar materials. It has that kind of presence.
There really are no drawings of this project. We composed it right on the plywood sheet in the shop. We did make some study models of different options for the ends. These are shown in the last image.
The rail is made of two pieces: the round gripping surface milled from solid Beech and the supporting rib cut from a sheet of Baltic Birch plywood. The rib includes tabs that engage the bronze stand offs made from bronze bearing blank machined to a smooth finish. The tabs are placed according to the location of the existing wall studs and the ends cantilever beyond the last support point to get gripping surface to the right position. The structural rib in concert with the engaged rail allows the center section to span five feet without noticeable deflection.
The ends of the rail are cut on the bias, attenuated to a half round end – the cut results in a parabola when viewed from underneath.
Our client was so delighted by the result that she nicknamed the piece, “le Concorde”.