Stairways in respect of "Design and structure" of high-rise residental buildings in Trabzon

SUMMARY Stairways in Respect of "Design and Structure" of High - Rise Residental Buildings in Trabzon The need for residental buildings has been a rising dilemma in big cities due to migration from rural areas to urban areas particularly in devoloping countries as Turkey where a rapid population increase has been taking place. Infrastructure which is provided by the local authorities is very expensive. This results in the need of constructing high - rise buildings in such areas. Such buildings that shelter agreat number of people bring about some problems of safety against earthquake and fire, durability, security and circulation aspects. It is quite obvious that each of these problems has its own importance. Of these, stairways are of vital importance as they provide circulation for the users between the flats of the building. Owing to this function, stairways have to be designed cautiously in the case of high - rise buildings. In the study, reinforced concrete stairways of the residential buildings of at least 5 story (basement + 4 stories) in Trabzon were studied, investigation was carried out. in terms of their design and structural aspects. The findings obtained from the study are thought to be representative and helpful in the design and improvement of stairways in the future. In the firs chapter of the study, a comprehensive literature about the features of the stairways including their history, their slope and form, and the materials used in their construction is given.The second chapter is associated with the case study carried out. This capter includes a survey form regarding the stairways of 66 residental buildings. The survey form comprises all the information associated with the design and structural aspects of #ie stairways in gaphical and drawing format. The findings of the study are outlined in the third chapter. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the entrance of the stairways is not designed properly due to commercial purpose use of the basements. It is also found that dimensional errors resulted due to improper application of the dimensions calculated for the elements of the stairways have been causing casual accidents. It is also observed that the light and air circulation in the stairway well is not adequate and the areas for the design of the stairways are not large enough at all for easy movement. It can be seen that stairways with rectangular steps are the most commonly used forms in the residentiall buildings investigated. Keywords: Residential building, Plan core, Stairway, Stairway step, Staircase Üs VŞKÜK^RVTtM KÜRULO