Synopsis
The 'Endless Stair' is an engineered sculpture, made from hardwood cross-laminated timber (CLT). It was originally designed and erected for the London Design Festival in September 2013 where it stood outside the Tate Modern. Unlike many sculptures, the Endless Stair can be walked on as well as walked around to appreciate the form and views. Since its first use, the stair has been re-used in various forms at events in Zurich and Milan as part of the architectural ambition for it to be 'endlessly reconfigurable'. The project was an opportunity both to explore the properties of engineered hardwoods and to understand the potential presented by the material. This objective spanned the full process of design, manufacture, construction and re-use at the structure's 'end of life'. It included: an investigation into the properties of the materials; the process of manufacturing the hardwood CLT panels; the design requirements of a temporary art installation; and finally how the Endless Stair would be erected and deconstructed. The timescales imposed by the festival dates were tight and therefore required significant collaboration within the team and a reliance on engineering judgment in the absence of established precedents. Ultimately, the project presented a rare opportunity for timber innovation and the development of a design on the basis of pure engineering principles; one that enabled the team to realise the original artistic ambition in a visually appealing and structurally efficient way.