Rakvere Stairs
Architects
Siiri Vallner
Heidi Urb
Kavakava Architects
Step formula
Taavi Vallner
Location
Vallimägi, Rakvere, Estonia
Status
Completed 2005
Client
Rakvere Municipality
Photos
Heidi Urb, Martin Siplane
Typology
Tags
A simple, yet effective architectural solution to provide access and set the mood to meet the historical castle towering above the city. The form emphasizes the peculiar location of the stairs situated amidst backyards on the slope.
At the lower end of the stairs narrow steps fit for bugs with a height of 3mm. Each next step is a fraction higher, wider and deeper. At the top the steps are huge, the last one being 0.8m high and 1.6m deep. Climbing the stairs is a memorable physical experience.
A specially developed computer program defined the dimensions of the steps. The mathematical formula of the steps is a function of a diagram equaling the cross-section of the hill. This design demonstrates how an original solution may be used even for the most mundane of tasks.
