Continuous wooden elements create treads in both upper and lower sections of this U-shaped staircase at a Mumbai apartment by Mexican studio Arquitectura en Movimiento Workshop
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Arquitectura en Movimiento Workshop formed the sculptural staircase to join two levels of an apartment, located in a six-storey building that houses different generations of one family.

"Our client wanted this space to have a big sculpture," Fabio Correa of Arquitectura en Movimiento Workshop
 told Dezeen. "It is the centre of the whole apartment, but we also needed space for the staircase so we thought of a staircase that would actually be the sculpture."

"Our client liked the idea, so we worked out a stylish way to develop it in a limited area," he explained.

Situated in front of a double-height window, the three-sided design features open treads to allow light to permeate the structure and fill the apartment.

Treads of engineered walnut that form the bottom portion of the staircase swoop up as continuous elements to also create the steps at the top.

The first three treads sit independently from each other and the rest of the structure, standing like a set of benches with curved corners that are each taller and narrower than the one before.

Step number four touches the ground on one side, then runs horizontally before bending up and extending the height of the void to form the final step in the set before the upstairs landing.

As the staircase rises, the steps gradually get narrower and the connecting sections become less steep.

Treads that run between two small landings beside the window are sandwiched by a pair of sloping wooden pieces.

The wood is formed around a metal structure that is anchored to the walls that enclose the staircase on both sides.

Vertical steel cables that help support the upper portion of the structure also form a balustrade.

A number of drawings and models were used to develop and refine the custom design, which was built by a local craftsman.

"India, like Mexico, still has great handcraft labour, so customised pieces like this are very possible and we are  working like this on a daily basis," Correa said.

The stairs can be viewed from most of the downstairs rooms, so other materials in the apartment, including Arabescato marble flooring and wooden panelling, were chosen to complement and contrast with the walnut wood.

"It is located in the main centre of the whole apartment, so you can see it from anywhere you stand," said Correa. "It really works and our client at the end didn't need to purchase a sculpture from a gallery."

Photography is by Bharath Ramamrutham.