Noble liquid metal for a shiny interior staircase
2022, Cologne
This artistic staircase sculpture was created with passion and creativity in cooperation with our partner company Midas Surfaces GmbH and sets new standards in the interior staircase portfolio. For the renovation of a villa in Cologne, the sophisticated interior staircase was given a visually dominant finish with a smooth metal skin, opening up completely new dimensions for artistic surface design compared to classic painting. Self-supporting and with dimensionally stable steel soffit lining, the internal staircase leads from the basement to the gallery on the upper floor and features complex structural shapes and transitions. On the outside, transparent glass railings act as fall protection. This is continued in a similar design as a ceiling and gallery railing with a steel handrail on top.
Shiny finish as an eye-catcher
The unique finish is created by the liquid metal coating from Midas Surfaces in the color bronze, which was applied to all visible steel and stainless steel parts of the interior staircase. Due to the size and geometry of the internal staircase, the coating process, which was challenging in itself, required an extremely high level of expertise and professional teamwork. Specialized experts carried out the individual tasks together with other contractors. After priming, full-surface filling and multiple sanding processes, which required a great deal of feeling for the product, real metal could be mixed in powder form and applied in a spray process similar to painting. After drying, up to 10 further sanding stages followed, followed by a high-gloss finish and, as a final step, polishing of the final surface. The result on the steel staircase is an impressive feat of craftsmanship.
Insights
Project details
- two-flight, rounded internal staircase with box stringers UG-EG-OG
- exterior box stringer concealing the treads made of welded rectangular profile in H-shape
- continuous, parapet-high box stringer on the inside
- steel treads welded between the stringers as a folding structure
- dimensionally stable steel soffit lining, structurally supporting steel soffit lining
- stair head landing on the upper floor with continuation of the inner stringer as a box-type stringer concealing the treads
- outside, rounded glass railings, set into the box stringer of the internal staircase
- as ceiling railing on the ground floor and first floor, set in glass pocket, rounded and straight
- rounded glass railings on the stair head landing on the upper floor, set into the box stringer that continues in the same way as the outer stringer
- u-section steel handrails attached to the top of the glass panels
- all glass railings made of laminated safety glass/ESG panes in white glass design
- surface preparation Q4 of all visible steel and stainless steel elements
- final coating with real metal using the 2.0 bronze painting process, brand "Midas Surfaces GmbH"
- sealing with high-gloss protective metal paint
- polishing of the final surface
METALLART carried out the verifiable structural analysis services for the internal staircase and prepared a vibration analysis.
Architecture
Corneille Uedingslohmann Architekten, Köln
