With an unlimited budget, anyone can build a steel stair that can last 100 years. However, when designing an egress stair system, the biggest challenge is balancing budget and timing requirements with elements of design, building codes, and fabrication. This takes a lot of steel stair design and engineering experience, coupled with a great amount of intuition. At Midwest Stairs & Iron, we have experienced staff who have constructed four of the five largest buildings in Milwaukee.
Forward Thinking Saves Money
The ability to forward think from design to installation is a huge factor in cost savings. This is because ironworkers are some of the most expensive subcontractors on a job site. As such, Midwest Iron aims to spend the least amount of time on-site while maximizing safety.
We’re able to achieve this through pre-engineering, pre-fabricating, and pre-assembling our staircases, which takes more time on the front end but is more beneficial to the overall plan. This method also makes it possible to get in and out of the way of other trades, too
Building a Steel Egress System Requires Detective Skills
Designing a steel egress stair system is much like detective work. To successfully design a staircase, you have to think about:
- Egress building codes
- Vertical, width, and depth
- Visualizing sterile air pocket restrictions where smoke can sit
- Knowing how the steel stair fits within an architect’s design
- Installation requirements
Additionally, building codes are changing constantly so the stair designer is always seeking out and updating project information. Stair designers serve as a connector between architects, general contractors, fabricators, and the field, and they help with preliminary oversight.
Interestingly, egress systems are the most heavily regulated element and are often thought about least during the overall design and build process. Midwest Stairs & Iron promises to make your egress system the primary thought.
“There is no elevator to success—you have to take the stairs.” – Zig Ziglar
