25The type of ascent depends upon the length, breadth
and changes of direction of ramps or staircases, their slopes
and materials, as well as their straight or curved forms. Our
style of gait, posture and sensations when climbing are also
influenced by the number and position of landings and the
configuration of the accompanying banisters and handrails.
These may suggest rapid ascent or a dignified tread: shallower
steps replace exertion with a delight in movement, while steep
staircases compel us to climb; narrow spiral staircases, mean-
while, require us to wind our way upwards. Natural or artifi-
cial slopes require a special type of ascent. With the blurring
of levels through ‘hilly’ modelling, as in the flooring of the
Rolex Learning Center by SANAA, differences in elevations
vanish, allowing the gaze to wander through a landscape. At
the same time, steep areas, because they render our footing
insecure, elicit a more intensive contact with the ground, and
may induce us to take a seat.
When ascending a staircase, we move in an > interme-
diate space, having abandoned one level without having yet
reached a new one. The ambivalence of this process is dis-
played in a different form in the place-changing immobility of
an elevator; in the closed cabin, movement is essentially only
virtual in character. A contrast is found in the characteristic
movement on a ramp. Because we need not attend to the pres-
ence of steps while ascending, we are free to look around us.
In addition, the necessarily extended length of the route, its
sweep and expansiveness, converts it into a promenade. Ef-
fortlessly, on the other hand, and with a gentle whirring, an
escalator carries us along like a transportable object, prima-
rily passive and moving in an irreversible direction.
Literature: Giersch 1983; Mäckler 2009; Meisenheimer 1983Assembly > composition, detail, spatial structure, structure