In Denmark, an inspiring reiteration of the Experimentarium science centre has just opened and its show piece is a massive staircase. It is one of the finest modern examples of a helical staircase, which differs from a spiral staircase in that it does not have a newel (a supporting central post) and handrails are built on both sides.
Since its opening in 1991, Experimentarium has been one of Denmark’s favourite attractions and has seen more than 8 million visitors. Located about 15 minutes’ drive north of Copenhagen, in the town where the Tuborg beer brewery was founded, Experimentarium has now doubled its exhibition space to 11,500 square metres spread over four floors.
The expansion was designed by Danish CEBRA architecture after winning the architectural competition in 2010. According to CEBRA, the copper staircase evokes an abstract version of the DNA strand’s structure. The staircase is built from 160 tons of steel and clad with 10 tons of copper.
As a nod to the building’s history, Experimentarium’s new aluminium facade is made partly of recycled beer and aluminium cans.
[Source: The Cool Hunter]