A typical spiral\u00a0staircase winds around a\u00a0newel\u00a0and has a handrail on the outer side only, and a central pole on the inner side. Unlike any ordinary spiral staircase, architect Paul Cocksedge<\/strong>‘s staircase design is highly innovative, interactive and full of life. The ‘Living Staircase’\u00a0<\/strong>was designed as a central feature for the new office development Ampersand<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in London’s Soho area. The massive staircase\u00a0eliminates the traditional, load-bearing pillar at its centre, opening up additional space in the design. The staircase has hidden rooms at each landing: a library, a garden and a meeting room encouraging social interactions amongst employees working in the various creative organizations within the building.<\/p>\n “The ‘Living Staircase’ is actually a combination of a staircase and room, of movement and stillness, vertical and horizontal”\u00a0explains Paul Cocksedge<\/em>. “At every turn, there is an opportunity to stop and look, smell, read, write, talk, meet, think and rest. If a staircase is essentially about going from point A to point B, there is now a whole world living and breathing in the space between the two.”<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n