Alternating Tread Stairs

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Author Message Jeffrey Leemhuis, AIA, CSI, CCS, LEED-AP Senior Member Username: jrlbarch Post Number: 25 Registered: 07-2005 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 11:48 am:    Does anyone have information on manufacturers other that Lapeyre Stair for alternating tread stairs? Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1169 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 12:22 pm:    The last time I looked (about a month ago), there weren't any. G. Wade Bevier, CCS, LEED-AP BD+C, CSI, SCIP, USGBC Senior Member Username: wbevier Post Number: 22 Registered: 07-2004 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 12:23 pm:    Try Precision Ladders http://www.precisionladders.com/index.htm Andy (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 12:17 pm:    Try Precision Ladder. They make an alternating tread ladder. I think it is similar to alternating tread stair. http://www.precisionladders.com/ Jeffrey Wilson CSI CCS Senior Member Username: wilsonconsulting Post Number: 38 Registered: 03-2006 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 12:34 pm:    Schmidt is listed in MasterSpec, although I didn't find info on their website about alternating tread stairs. http://www.schmidtstructural.com I sent a request to ask if they offer them. Nathan Woods, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 372 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 12:38 pm:    http://www.fsindustries.com/more_info/lapeyre_stairs/lapeyre_stairs.shtml David Axt, AIA, CCS, CSI Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1161 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 12:40 pm:    Although an interesting idea, I have never specified nor seen an alternating tread stair installed (on and actual building project). Have you? Wayne Yancey Senior Member Username: wayne_yancey Post Number: 393 Registered: 01-2008 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 01:11 pm:    Specified and exquisitely detailed (2003) for the Alderbrook Inn on the Hood Canal. Roof access. VE'd out without permission. Most recently (2010) specified for roof top access on a mixed use project in Saudi Arabia. Jury still out if it is provided. G. Wade Bevier, CCS, LEED-AP BD+C, CSI, SCIP, USGBC Senior Member Username: wbevier Post Number: 23 Registered: 07-2004 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 01:55 pm:    I used to specify them as a standard for access to mechanical mezzanine areas for K-12 projects. The angle allowed the access room below to be a smaller dimension which the PM took advantage of all the time. John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1288 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 02:15 pm:    We've used alternating tread stairs in K-12 and other work for years. Reduces footprint vs. a ship's ladder, and is much easier to climb than a standard ladder. We've never had any issues. Be sure to coordinate the size of your roof scuttle, however. Jeffrey Wilson CSI CCS Senior Member Username: wilsonconsulting Post Number: 39 Registered: 03-2006 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 02:18 pm:    Here's the response from Schmidt: "We do not produce an alternating tread stair. When we do need one with a mezzanine we get it from Lapeyre stair." So I'll remove Schmidt from my master. I have spec'd Lapeyre stairs a number of times, but don't know how many survived into actual construction. Richard A. Rosen, CSI, CCS, AIA Senior Member Username: rarosen Post Number: 94 Registered: 08-2006 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 03:04 pm:    I specified one that was installed in a police department evidence room when we added a storage mezzanine. It worked quite well, going up is just fine, going down takes some getting used to. I always felt like I was falling forward, tri-focals may have something to do with that. The client was happy with it. Paul Gerber Senior Member Username: paulgerber Post Number: 52 Registered: 04-2010 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 03:43 pm:    Thanks for the information on Precision! Currently our master has only one manufacturer. I have a project that I will be doing a section for in the next week, however we have spec'd Lapeyre on numerous projects over many years. Typically we also use them for roof access. It is rather unsettling to climb an alternating tread stair the first couple times you do as your brain has a hard time processing where your feet need to go in order to climb it. After a couple trips up and down you don't even have to think about it! With regards to John Bunzik's comment about the size of the roof scuttle, he is absolutley corrct. You need to go to a 30" x 54" scuttle from a more traditional 24" x 36" for a vertical ladder. Ride it like you stole it!!! Sheldon Wolfe Senior Member Username: sheldon_wolfe Post Number: 457 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 06:27 pm:    Paul: I refuse to use them for the very reason you state; a person's first use may be in an emergency. J. Peter Jordan (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 06:33 pm:    Some jurisdictions will not allow them. I have several clients who would like to use them more but the AHJ will not permit it. I have no idea why, but it gets kicked back every time. George A. Everding, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: geverding Post Number: 574 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Thursday, December 16, 2010 - 11:26 pm:    25 or so years ago, LaPeyre made a wood version of the alternating stair that I used a few times to access loft areas in residential projects. At some point they stopped making them to concentrate on the industrial type version you all are talking about. I think there was a change in the residential code also that made their wood version unworkable. But I remember it as a neat little product for tight spaces... ...oh well, that was the 80's - things were different then. Who knows what we were thinking about back then? George A. Everding AIA CSI CCS CCCA Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies St. Louis, MO Lisa Goodwin Robbins, RA, CCS, LEED ap Senior Member Username: lgoodrob Post Number: 113 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Friday, December 17, 2010 - 09:10 am:    What about Vestil Manufacturing Company? Paul Gerber Senior Member Username: paulgerber Post Number: 53 Registered: 04-2010 Posted on Friday, December 17, 2010 - 10:00 am:    Sheldon: I understand your concerns and I would probably concur if I had a PA proposing to use one in a public space, however we typically only use them for facility maintenance staff access to roof areas. By the time the building is occupied, the staff will have had numerous opportunities to use the alternating tread stairs to access the roof for maintenance training/demonstration of rooftop equipment. This introduction to the stairs usually alleviates any apprehension regarding their use and provides a suitable level of comfort. Lisa: Thanks for the suggestion. The Vestil product seems similar to the others but it appears their design is limited to a 10'-0" rise. I am going to fire off an e-mail to see if they offer higher rises and alternate attachment details as our installations don't typically offer too many opportunities for an exposed beam for the stair to bear on. I will also suggest they include some technical info on their website for use by specifiers/architects in order to be able to better evaluate their products. Ride it like you stole it!!! Dave Metzger Senior Member Username: davemetzger Post Number: 383 Registered: 07-2001 Posted on Friday, December 17, 2010 - 10:51 am:    The IBC 2009, 1009.10, allows the use of alternating tread “devices” for certain occupancies, and for limited locations, areas, and number of occupants