Moving through
Handrail
escalerarampabalconyterrazapasarela
An element that edges stairs, ramps, balconies and changes in level to give the hand support and prevent falls.
What it solves
It protects from the drop and offers a firm point for going up, down or stopping. In the tropics it must withstand sun, rain and salt air without rusting or splintering.
Today
Distinguish the handrail, which is gripped, from the guardrail, which stops a fall. The handrail must be continuous, easy to grasp and on both sides. Close-set vertical balusters keep a child from slipping through or climbing.
Common mistake
Using horizontal bars that a child can climb like a ladder.
Tomorrow
A handrail with integrated low lighting guides at night without glare and orients people with low vision. With an aging population, the handrail matters as much as the floor.
Fact The United States accessibility standard requires the top of the handrail between 86 and 96 centimeters and a diameter of 3.2 to 5.1 centimeters.
Where it comes from
- 1Assyrian palaces Mesopotamia, Antiquity
Their reliefs show the oldest known balusters, in window railings. - 2Italian Renaissance Venice and Verona, Italy, late 15th century
The balustrade becomes a feature of palace balconies. Its name comes from the pomegranate flower (balaustra). - 3Mughal Empire India, early 17th century
Shah Jahan’s fortress palaces incorporate balustrades.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Moving through
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.