The idea of a hanging cloth-stairway came up quite by chance, inspired by the sight of a lampshade made of a laminated linen sheet. This concept leaded directly to further ideas using textiles in the architectural field.

The [ woolstairs ] project is the first realization of this. The priority in the development of this cloth stairway was to make such an object stable and safe to use. To mitigate physical stresses and strains, the the cloth is hung under two rounded fiberplastic tubes, borrowing from bridge-building techniques. Lateral movement is countered by a trapezoidal cross-section and the connection of all steps one to another. This allows the user to ascend and descend hands free.

To make the stairs quickly and easily attachable and usable, almost all components are available in normal hardware stores and connections can be mounted easily with snap hooks etc. Generally this staircase is a temporary equipment, usable for festivals and events, exhibitions and fairs and also as an airplane gangway and rescue equipment.