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Spiral Staircase
Architectural Placemaking
Initially developed at a private residence, this staircase is now featured at the most exclusive all-inclusive resort on earth. Welcome to a new standard in luxury.
In 2020, we designed and built a dramatic illuminated staircase for a private residence on a private island in the British Virgin Islands. It links the open-air ground floor with a viewing platform above, and we shipped the completed piece to the BVI.
Tropical ipe hardwood was paired with a bamboo-and-polymer diffuser, giving the staircase a natural look at rest and a soft glow when lit. Lighting integration was done by Digital Ambiance, whose custom LED system plays compelling content in 360 degrees around the staircase.
The result is a stunning work of art. It stands as a beacon of illuminated art on the estate and a seamless work of magic within the built environment.
A staircase to the sky leading to a view of the sea
Acknowledgements
We partnered with the studio Digital Ambiance, who developed a custom addressable LED product and drivers made specifically for this project. It was designed to be IP68 submersible, with a failover circuit that prevents a single LED failure from disrupting the data signal. Advanced volumetric control software allowed the team to paint lighting patterns in three dimensions during content creation. The result is a volumetric screen that plays compelling content in 360 degrees around the staircase enclosure.
The fabrication design used digital parametric modeling to create detailed fabrication and wiring diagrams. Augmented reality helped the team previsualize the complex geometry, ensuring constructability and ergonomics were accurate before build.
The diffuser combines tropical ipe hardwood with a bamboo-and-polymer layer. It softens the LED glow when lit, and reads as a bamboo inlay when at rest, with no visible wires or hot spots.
Photos and video courtesy of Digital Ambiance.
Photos and video courtesy of Digital Ambiance and Moskito