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Design Needs

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Exteriors and Interiors

Exterior Design Elements

Interior Design Elements

Nosings

Follow these guidelines for stair nosings:

Public staircase with brown steps and white nosings.
A good example of universal design for stairs. Nosings incorporate good colour contrast.
An example showing poor use of stair nosings. The light-coloured treads with black strips on the nosing create a marking pattern that is not perceived well by people impacted by blindness.
An example of poor stair design – black stairs with no colour contrast on the nosing.
A steel staircase with colour-contrasted nosings provides an example of good stair design. The design would have been even more accessible for people impacted by blindness if colour contrast had been applied to the handrails.