A world first in staircase construction from Sarentino
How to build a made-to-measure concrete staircase, quickly and economically, while satisfying demands for ease of assembly, noise absorption and thermal insulation? An entrepreneur from Sarentino has developed just such a process. His technique, unique in the world, is reminiscent of playing with toy building blocks, and the formwork is integral to the finished staircase. He approached the Simulation & Materials department, the development workshop in the TIS innovation park, with his revolutionary concept, and they supported him in bringing it to realisation. After intensive research into suitable materials, simulations and prototype construction with the aid of the 3 dimensional rapid prototype printer, Materials experts from TIS and the entrepreneur from Sarentino can now announce “SCAWO”, a revolutionary new method for constructing staircases from ready-made units.
from left to right: Kurt Wohlgemuth (METALL CONCEPT), Alexander Kaserer (Area Simulation & Materials), Hubert Hofer (CEO TIS) and Johannes Brunner (Manager Area Simulation & Materials)
Sarentino staircase manufacturer METALL CONCEPT was searching for a solution which would simplify the expensive and elaborate formwork construction needed when building concrete stairs. The product should also be easy to use in situ when renovating old buildings, and a further criterion was that that no specialist knowledge of formwork construction or indeed staircase construction would be required.
The product designer had a simple and yet ingenious idea: the first stage was to reduce the staircase to its individual sections, so that each tier represented a single element. Additionally the formwork was to be part of the finished stairs – usually this only serves as a mould and is removed when the staircase is completed. The advantage of the new system is that each section of the staircase (depending on the type there will be between one and four sections) can be positioned individually, just like children’s building blocks, greatly facilitating the construction of made-to-measure installations. Using conventional construction methods for building stairs, such as pre-fabricated concrete steps, the individual elements are extremely heavy and often require special transport arrangements as well as heavy duty cranes for their installation. The new system uses hollow “blocks” which are therefore lighter and more manageable – a completed staircase section weighs around 40kg – enabling a workman to put together a staircase on his own in around a couple of hours in readiness for concreting.
Two basic questions needed to be solved by the manufacturer: which material is suitable for making the formwork and its constituent parts, and how can it be shaped appropriately? The entrepreneur found suitable partners willing to assist him in carrying out his project amongst the materials experts of TIS. After extensively searching for the right material and carrying out various tests, Johannes Brunner, Head of Simulation & Materials, and his team came up with the ideal material: polystyrene with a polyurethane coating, while computer-controlled milling machines could accurately cut out the required sections to the nearest millimetre. “I was impressed by the commitment TIS showed towards my project and how quickly they were able to come up with tangible results” says Kurt Wohlgemuth, Managing Director of METALL CONCEPT. “The staircase satisfies all the building regulations and has additionally been checked for noise absorption.” SCAWO is already busy planning regular production.
In the meantime, this innovative and totally unique way of constructing staircases has been patented. “This example shows us once more how simulation and materials research can benefit our local enterprises” concludes Hubert Hofer, Director of TIS.
Johannes Brunner will be happy to provide further information about the Simulation & Materials department at TIS (Tel: +39 0471 0868 304, johannes.brunner@tis.bz.it, www.tis.bz.it).
