A study in a Canadian hospital has revealed that it is not just in terms of exercise where stairs have the edge over an elevator.

The research carried out at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that doctors saved around 15 minutes during their workday by simply taking the stairs rather than the elevator.

This was partly put down to the fact that there is no waiting time for the staircase as opposed to the lift, therefore making it a more efficient way of getting around the hospital.

With health professionals advising that it is good to find ways to add exercise to a person’s daily routine by choosing the stairs over a lift, these findings are sure to make people think again before going for the less energetic route to the next floor.

However, the senior researcher of the study, Dr. Thomas Wilson, noted that people usually head straight for the lift as a matter of habit, expecting it to save them valuable time. But he pointed out that this is not always the case.

He added:

“People should seriously consider taking the stairs.

“I think we’re all in the habit of just punching the elevator button.”

With the festive season now upon us, there are all kinds of gadgets and gizmos to take your fancy as you look for presents for yourself as well as loved ones.

One of the most interesting new releases is the Fitbit Ultra which is something for those who really like to keep up to date with their exercise intake as well as their technology.

This handy little device lets you work out how much exercise you are getting at home and work as you go about your daily routine. You can find out how active you really are and measure your performance while playing games and gaining achievements.

The accelerometer installed in the gadget means that when you take the stairs instead of the lift you can feel better about yourself, while being able to share this with your friends on social networking websites.

The Fitbit Ultra can simply be clipped on to your belt or kept in your pocket as you move around your office or place of work. Now you can tell if going up the many steps that make up the huge staircase is worth it when you check your latest statistics. It will also offer encouragement along the way!

If you are a pop star or famous actor/actress you can be forgiven for making sure that everything is precisely as you like it to be, especially when travelling around for much of the year.

While this is not going to garner sympathy with much about anyone else, it is a well-known fact in the world of show business that certain big names like things to be just right for them when making an appearance.

This leads us on to one particular request which has been revealed recently. When singer Mariah Carey was due to appear on Alan Carr’s talk show, it has been reported that she asked to have a staircase assistant present.

The diva was said to have made this dressing room demand in advance of the date and requested that a person was appointed to check the stairs to ensure she was able to descend them.

As Mariah is known to wear high heels it does not sound like as far-fetched a stipulation as it first seems, especially as she certainly would not want any embarrassing entrances onto the set. Still, even if she was only concerned with losing her footing on the steps, it is still an out-of-the-ordinary request – while the expensive champagne ordered certainly wasn’t.

Towering 1,454 feet over the rest of Midtown Manhattan, the iconic structure known as the Empire State Building has been a place linked with romance for all of its 80 years.

Many couples have ascended at least part of the 1,576 steps that take you to the top in order to celebrate wedding proposals and get to stand in the famous observatory and look out on sprawling New York City.

Now there is even more reason for those about to get hitched to consider this remarkable landmark for a visit as the owners of the building have teamed up with wedding planning website ColinCowieWeddings.com to offer four couples the chance to get married on the 61st floor of the Empire State next year.

Unfortunately, this is only open to American citizens, so those in the UK will just have to make do with the wondrous views they get when they climb the staircase and to say they have been to one of the world’s most cherished attractions.

For the lucky couples, they will be able to enjoy their ceremonies and receptions in complete luxury.

Empire State Building Director of Brand Development and Public Relations, Melanie Maasch, said:

“For 80 years, the Empire State Building has enchanted lovers from around the world.

“From silver screen love scenes to sky-high proposals, the iconic Empire State Building continues to be the most romantic building in the world to celebrate the most romantic day of the year. We are so excited to partner with Colin Cowie who will undoubtedly provide an unforgettable, exclusive wedding experience for the couples.”

The size of staircase you wish to design will depend on the size of the residential or commercial property where it will be installed. The type of staircase you want to be constructed also depends on the requirements of your project and the objective.

When you are looking at building stairs for a larger sized home or commercial development project, one of the most popular designs to go for is a grand staircase.

These staircases have been used in traditional settings for hundreds of years and have been crafted by some of the world’s most renowned architects and builders.

Grand staircases can still be made today, but they are usually reserved for those with a bigger budget to work with, not to mention the space required for these magnificent creations.

These stairs can still be made to certain design specifications, with many style choices available including spiral, helical and curved options. This is in addition to the straight flight stairs you can get.

When you are working on a smaller scale, you can still create something to admire. So even if you don’t have the resources to build a grand staircase, you will still be able to find a solution that satisfies your needs.

As a bit of fun last weekend, a local resident and artist of Highland Park, a neighbourhood in the northeast of Los Angeles, United States, decided to arrange a public tour of the old staircases in the area.

The Stair Street Ghosts tour took place last Sunday, with organiser Louisa Van Leer arranging a number of self-guided tours to provide an insight into the nine stairway streets which are found within the old Mt. Angelus section.

For these free-of-charge tours to be able to go ahead, many of the old staircases had to be reopened after being inaccessible to the public for a long time.

Organiser Louisa Van Leer, speaking to The Eastsider LA publication, said:

“I have always been interested in things that have been hidden in plain sight.

“The history of Mt. Angelus has been hidden from the community and I am excited to not only explore the rich history but also to share it with the local community.”

Van Leer managed to uncover a rich heritage, when she looked deeper into the history surrounding these public staircases, which had been constructed in the early part of the 20th century.

With support from The Highland Park Heritage Trust, the Artist Bailout Grant and Council District One, the tours were given full approval by the LA community.

Many staircases that are built these days are accompanied by a balustrade, a row of small posts (known as balusters) that provide support for the upper rail of a railing.

As a balustrade is a frequent sight on wooden staircases and porches, we thought it best to go through some of the common terms associated with these features.

First, we will consider the reason why the balustrade is frequently used. This is mainly because it can work as a staircase guard and ensure the safe ascent and descent of the stairs. However, they can also improve the look of a staircase and so there are various styles available.

Newel

A newel is a large post which provides the anchor point for the handrail. These posts are normally placed at the top and bottom of the staircase. In situations where a railing ends in the wall, a half-newel can be used instead as it looks like it is imbedded.

Handrail

There are different types of handrails that can be used to provide support and stability to the person going up or down the stairs. These can either be continuous or post-to-post.

Spindles

These fixings are placed in the grooves located in the handrail.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is one of the main settings in JK Rowling’s famous stories about the boy wizard Harry Potter and his destiny to take on the evil Lord Voldemort.

This old building is full of corridors, towers and stairwells and within the second book it is said that the castle is more than 200 years old.

If you read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone you will be told that there are in fact 142 staircases at Hogwarts School, which is not surprising seeing as the pupils are often seen going up or down the stairs in various scenes from the film adaptations.

As there are many Harry Potter fans out there, the facts and figures relating to the exact number of floors and towers is heavily debated, but the main castle is said to be 20 storeys high.

In addition to the maze of corridors and stairs in the school, there are also many secret passages, which again contain staircases of their own and lead to some magical dark place.

With so many rooms and walkways, it is no wonder then that the students often get lost in its vast expanse, with the stairwells taking up a large proportion of the space.

When you buy an expertly designed staircase for your property, you are buying a custom-made product, built for your situation and able to make a powerful impact. In achieving this, you can go for bespoke modern or traditional stairs for your home.

There are various types of staircases you might wish to go for, depending on the style of your residence and what form of craftsmanship would suit it. As well as opting for a particular kind of staircase, you can look at options which include baserails, newel posts, handrails and spindles.

Designs which are often used in homes include such things as cut string, open riser, closed string and space saver stairs.

A staircase is able to do something extraordinary in a home as it can provide a focal point where you can style it around your interiors. Putting the finishing touch to your elegant staircase can be achieved by adding such things as a continuous handrail which has volute and ramped handrails.

Timber is a most suited material for producing fine stairs, so you can be sure that whichever style you finally go for, it will make a remarkable difference to your property and serve you well for many years to come.

If you want to ensure the safe ascent of a flight of stairs, then the balustrade is a guard that can help you achieve this. The balustrade normally consists of newel posts at the bottom as well of the top of the staircase to provide an anchor for the handrail. Grooves found in the baserail and handrail are used to place the spindles.

Some of the terms used so far may have baffled you, so the following is an explanation of what each one means, should you ever need to put up your own balustrade.

• Newel – this is a large post used as its anchor. Where a railing ends in the wall a half-newel might be used to make it look like it is imbedded into it.
• Handrails – these may be post-to-post (newel-to-newel) or continuous (over-the-post). For the first of these systems, the newels project above the handrails. With continuous handrails, multiple newels may be used on long balconies, and quarter-turn caps on corners.
• Baserail – It is found where the baluster does not start at the treads on closed stairs without a ‘cut string’.
• Volute – this is a handrail for the spiral-shaped bullnose curtailed step. Depending on the side of the staircase they occur on (facing up the stairs); these can either be left or right handed.