When Stair Design Gets People Talking

This June Architectural Record’s article, “Circulation Notice: Stair Design Gets People Talking,” covered ornamental stairs throughout New York City that “create spaces for circulation, gathering, and artistic expression.” The article highlights the ways in which stairs can do more than get us between floors – stairs can be a real place of interaction and connectivity. We are pleased our project, the Price Center for Genetic & Translational Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine was included in the article. The main stairway in the building mimics the shape of DNA, which is subtly relevant to the work completed in the building.

The primary goal was to create a new identity for the Medical College by establishing a strong dialogue with the main entrance to the existing campus. A new and more powerful sense of arrival is achieved by having the new front yards of both the original entry to the Medical College and the new research building bracket the two sides of the main vehicular approach, creating landmark entries for the Medical College.

Open labs and shared support spaces have the benefit of inspiring interaction and creative exchange among researchers, technicians and students. This is achieved through the strategic placement of research support functions, conference rooms, a 110-seat lecture hall, lounge spaces and open common areas that facilitate the spontaneous and informal exchange of ideas. Each floor is organized into two research wings joined by a common area, an open lounge with coffee, a chalkboard and a large conference room. This is the arrival point on each floor. The common space encourages interaction between research wings, while the atrium space and interconnecting stair encourages interaction between floors. Each research wing accommodates two 16-bench wet laboratories with Principal Investigator offices at each end. The exposed lab utilities are organized in a modular, repetitive fashion and are readily accessible. This approach to organizing the infrastructure allows maximum flexibility and adaptability as research needs change over time.

For more about the distinct spiral “DNA” stair at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, read Peter J. Arsenault’s article.