Free Span Structural Glass Staircase

John Kooymans, Moustafa Shafik & Halcrow Yolles, Toronto Canada

Structural glass staircases are becoming increasingly popular. Advancements in technology fuel the desire to create something unique and challenging. This paper will review the design, detailing, and testing of a unique structural glass staircase built at the Four Seasons Center for the Performing Arts in Toronto, Canada. A true working relationship between contractor and engineer was required to ensure the staircase met the challenging design aspects and constructability issues. The phrase “The Devil is in the details” could not have been more appropriate in the development of this glass staircase design.
The main lobby of this award winning facility has a grand staircase linking three
levels of common area all hung from the roof structure. The grand staircase is
comprised predominately of laminated structural glass with the glass balustrades
providing the strength and stiffness for the long spans. The glass treads and risers
complete the ‘U’-Shaped structure thus providing the lateral stability for the
balustrades as well as increasing the lateral stiffness for vibration control.
Due to the unique support conditions and long spans, connection details were critical in the final design. Every elemental connection required a detailed analysis to alleviate local high stress points. This, naturally, had to be accomplished with architectural flair and elegance. The result is an elegant glass staircase designed and erected in two sections. Each section is approximately 14 meters in length (12.5 meters in plan) with 26 treads and a mid-landing. This was only possible with the advanced technologies in structural glass now available to the designers and contractors.

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