The original design may now no longer fit in the intended opening. These discrepancies could force significant design changes. As stair complexity increases, changes may require substitution of winders, adjustment of landing heights and widths, extending the length of flights, or changes in balustrade and handrail systems. When changes of this nature cannot resolve the issue, significant structural changes such as enlarging the well hole or moving walls to expand the space become necessary. Any changes to accommodate these variations must be accounted for in terms of time and money while realizing the stressful redesign and alteration process achieves a compromised design at best. Allowing for space for the stairway should be the number one consideration to ensure the achievement of the design objectives. Important Considerations What else needs consideration? As the staircase becomes more complicated, there is much more to consider beyond the overall dimensions and code compliance. The alignment of flights with adjoining landings and floors is critical to the design and location of the balustrades and continuity of the handrail system. Consider the same straight flight with a rake balustrade that exits onto an upper floor with a level balustrade. Even in this simplified example, ensuring the two systems intersect properly requires precise planning and implementation. summer 2020 I designsolutions 51