AEGON wins Stairs of the year
On Wednesday 14th October the award ceremony for the annual ‘Stair of the Year’ competition took place. The initial candidates were identified by an independent jury before the final nominees and eventual winner were chosen by the public. This is the first time that the winning staircase has been chosen by public votes. With over 36 percent of the votes the award went to the helical staircase for AEGON's headquarters in The Hague. The striking staircase was designed by OTH Architects whilst EeStairs from Barneveld, Holland were responsible for the development and installation.
The winning stairs is a large helical flight featuring glass balustrade combined with slim supporting stringers to create an extremely elegant stairs. The broad carriageway and slow helix invite users to make the smooth transition between the floors in the restaurant area. OTH Architects based in Amsterdam redeveloped the ground floor space and their scheme included a bold helical staircase.
Special Award
The practice are honoured to be awarded the ‘Stair of the year 2008’ title. Hugues Houlmann from OTH Architects remarked; “It's an honour to receive the prize. It is a proof that we have succeeded in our intention”.
Stair of the year
Winning ‘Stair of the Year’ is a great success. Organiser and Creative Director at EeSairs, Cornelis van Vlastuin; "The six staircases that made it through to the final stages of the voting are all extremely attractive with a unique appearance. The quality of the design and the use of materials in each example is phenomenal. The public have succeeded in identifying a legitimate winner from an extraordinary line up. That the winning staircase is a project in which I was involved adds a real sense of satisfaction to the victory".
