Architecture, Interiors, Model Making & Furniture Design
Connecting Three Levels
Residential architecture | External stair design | Three-dimensional design studies
The Wilson Stair is a small-scale residential intervention designed to reconnect three levels of an existing home. The new external stair links the upper deck directly with the garden and pool courtyard, using open timber treads, steel structure and a transparent balustrade to create a light and visually connected addition. Developed through rapid three-dimensional sketches and alternative material studies, the project demonstrates how visual exploration can test architectural ideas before detailed documentation begins.
The Wilson Stair was designed as a new external connection between the upper living level and the garden and pool courtyard below.
The existing three-level residence accommodated bedrooms and bathrooms at the upper level, kitchen, living and dining spaces with an outdoor deck at the middle level, and car parking, entry, garden and pool areas at ground level.
The new stair created a direct connection between the upper outdoor living area and the garden, improving circulation between the levels while allowing the courtyard and pool area to remain open and usable.
The challenge was relatively simple but spatially important: how could an external stair connect the upper deck directly with the garden without overwhelming the existing courtyard? The design needed to provide practical circulation while remaining visually light within the relatively compact site.
The proposed stair turns back towards the existing wall, allowing the flight to occupy the courtyard efficiently while maintaining usable outdoor space around it.
The result was conceived as an architectural element rather than simply a functional staircase — a structure that would become part of the relationship between the house, garden and pool.
The stair was conceived as a light, open structure that would visually connect the upper deck with the landscape below.
Open timber treads sit on a steel stringer, combined with a fine stainless-steel wire balustrade. The transparency of the balustrade allows views through the stair rather than creating another solid boundary within the courtyard.
The landing turns the flight back towards the wall, creating a compact circulation route while maintaining the openness of the garden and pool area. The design seeks to balance structure, transparency and movement.
The stair was developed quickly as a three-dimensional perspective, allowing the client to understand the design intent before the project progressed into detailed documentation or pricing.
Rather than relying solely on plans and sections, the perspective allowed the client to imagine standing within the courtyard, looking towards the upper deck and experiencing how the proposed stair would occupy the space. This approach was particularly useful because the design involved several levels, existing structures, landscape and circulation. A three-dimensional drawing could communicate these relationships immediately.
Sometimes the quickest way to understand architecture is to see it in three dimensions.
The aerial perspective illustrates how the stair lands within the courtyard and how the surrounding paving, planting and outdoor areas could be arranged around it. From above, the relationship between the upper deck, stair, courtyard, pool and garden becomes clear.
The drawing was not simply about representing the stair itself. It was about understanding how the new element would occupy the existing landscape and how much usable outdoor space would remain. This became an important part of the design decision-making process.
Two alternative treatments were developed to explore how different balustrade materials could change the character of the stair. The first option used a timber-framed balustrade, giving the stair a warmer and more substantial architectural expression. The second explored a lighter steel and glass treatment, creating a more contemporary and visually transparent intervention.
Timber above, steel and glass belowopen it full size ↗
Presenting the alternatives side by side allowed the client to compare the visual character of each approach and respond to the qualities they preferred. Rather than committing to one solution too early, the options became a way of testing the design together.
This type of three-dimensional drawing formed part of the early design process. The intention was to develop the idea far enough for the client to understand the proposal, but not so far that the design became unnecessarily fixed before the first discussion.
The drawings were deliberately quick, exploratory and responsive. They allowed questions to be asked:
This early exploration provided a valuable opportunity to test the design before detailed documentation and pricing.
The Wilson Stair demonstrates how a relatively small architectural intervention can significantly change the way a home is experienced. By creating a direct external connection between the upper deck and the garden, the stair strengthens the relationship between the different levels of the house and encourages movement between indoor and outdoor spaces.
The open construction, transparent balustrade and carefully positioned landing allow the new structure to remain visually light within the courtyard.
The project is an example of small-scale architectural thinking — where circulation, structure, landscape and visual connection are considered as one design problem.
Concept → Three-dimensional study → Alternative options → Client response → Development
The project demonstrates a preference for using visual thinking at the beginning of the design process. A quick three-dimensional drawing can sometimes communicate more effectively than a fully developed set of drawings when the objective is to test an idea and invite a response.
Draw the idea. See the idea. Test the idea. Then develop it.
The Wilson Stair was developed for the same client who later commissioned the Wilson Residence. The stair project provided an opportunity to explore the client’s needs, the character of the site and the relationship between architecture and outdoor living before the later residential project.
For enquiries, please contact lee.anchor@optusnet.com.au.