The new Detail in Building series provides a foundation of contemporary design data covering key elements of building design. Such essential elements are part of the vocabulary of contemporary architecture, and future titles in the series will include canopies, parapets, entrance doors, rooflights and windows. Each building element will be clearly analysed both historically and in terms of contemporary examples by leading practices around the world. The combination of building context, design aesthetics and technical solution as revealed in the case studies will be highly informative as well as unique, in a field where specific technical quality in design detailing is often underexposed by the superficial presentation of entire schemes. Launching this new series, Staircases examines ten key stair designs that are both excellent in composition and successful in use. Introducing the case studies is a fully illustrated history of the staircase from its origins, through the Renaissance, and eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, to the remarkable virtuosity displayed by twentieth-century designers. The book includes work by Sir Norman Foster, Herman Hertzberger, Will Alsop, Eva Jiricna and Richard Meier. Each example is analysed through detailed drawings and photographs, and the solution examined in full context. The result will be inspirational to students and designers alike, proving an invaluable tool in design.