OICR3

EeStairs was chosen to provide a stunning feature staircase for the new office of the Ontario Institute of Cancer Research (OICR), in Toronto. While working closely with the extremely talented team at Diamond Schmitt Architects we were able to bring this beautiful design to life. This staircase is located in the 5th to 6th floor lobby, connecting offices and a lounge on both levels.

The staircase entails a detailed curved balustrade consisting of two products. The inside balustrade has a drywall substrate with a venetian plaster top surface, providing a smooth silky finish with a slightly marbled look. The shape of the inside balustrade is also very unique. It is designed as a continuous ribbon structure, which uniformly flows from floor to floor even though the staircase actually contains a mid-landing. The outside balustrade consists of a steel base shoe stringer with starphire glass balustrades installed in it, using two different materials for the balustrade allowing for a much more modern and open appearance.

Terrazzo was chosen as the tread material, since it is known for its timeless beauty and versatility. The treads are 1 ¼ inch thick and the riser is ¾ inch thick, producing a sleek yet modern look to the staircase.

The curved upper balustrade panels were designed to act as the smoke baffle as well as the railings. Therefore these panels were made with a total height of 10’6”. The panels were made using 10mm/10mm laminated tempered starphire glass, and the interlay was split in three sections. The top and bottom of the panels has a clear interlayer, and middle section of the panel contains a white interlayer.

The installation of this staircase was one of the greatest challenges of this project. As the staircase sections needed to be brought through a 5th floor window and there was only 1” of clearance. But with a skilled team who thrive on challenges we were successful in installing and finishing this beautiful staircase.