The Canadian Cancer Prevention and Survivorship Centre is currently under construction and is set to be completed in the new year. Today we’re highlighting a feature element of the project: the Atrium Stair. This celebrated stair is at the heart of the building, providing a necessary link between housed patients and support staff. The stair is programmed with breakout spaces at each level to allow for moments of repose, chance encounter, and social interaction between groups.
A major design precedent was M.C. Escher’s Penrose Stairs, also known as the “impossible stair.” Its two-dimensional depiction creates a continual illusive loop. Drawing from this concept, the Atrium Stair is designed to travel in both a clockwise and anti-clockwise direction. This change in rotation along the path of travel fosters a moment of pause and provides aspect onto the atrium below.