A new design guide for stairs will be launched next month at a free evening seminar on stair safety and design innovation for architects, specifiers and contractors organised by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) Stair Scheme.
The seminar will be held at the Building Centre in London on 22 October. It presents the culmination of the first two years' work of the BWF Stair Scheme and includes guest speakers who will showcase new developments in design and best practice with some of the finest examples of timber and hybrid stairs in the UK today.
The BWF Stair Scheme Design Guide sets out the industry standard for stair manufacture and explains how specifiers can verify that products meet the required standards while also delivering stairs which help to push the boundaries in new design, including new fire-certificated designs for timber staircases in low and medium rise blocks.
Iain McIlwee, chief executive of the BWF, says: "Stairs can be the centrepiece of a building adding character and enhancing the interior aesthetics. But they are also the most common accident zone in the home other than the kitchen, and a critical area of non-compliance with building regulations. The simple staircase is surrounded by a spaghetti of standards and trip hazards.
"That is what the BWF Stair Scheme was set up to address, and it now embraces more than 70% of the timber staircase market. The new design guide will help specifiers, installers and building owners ensure their staircases are hassle free, as safe as possible and embrace the elements of great design. This is an opportunity to demonstrate the excellence that can now be found in timber stairs."
