taircases don’t get enough credit. We need them to actually move through a building. They have odd social and cultural symbolism. Ranging from ‘stairway to heaven,’to theories of psychological symbolism and M.C. Escher’s pieces making us question where steps start and finish. The connection created throughout a space is not the central focus, but rather what lies on either end. Friedrich Mielke, whose lifework was the research and analysis of stairs, named them the “queens of architecture.” We only think about what they do for us not what they look like.
The Les Haras Brasserie – in Strasbourg, France – staircase that I saw in a reclaimed equestrian school from 1752 nearly hit me when I walked in the door. The food is good and the overall structure is incredible, but the meal is really just an excuse to see the staircase.
The partners – together recognized under their firm name, Jouin Manku – reject being labeled as strictly architects or designers. The pair, with the assistance of twenty select craftsmen, are a self-proclaimed experimental and conceptual design team. They are well known for the role of redesigning the restaurant at Plaza Athéné in Paris, at the bequest of François Delahaye and Alain Ducasse, the Van Clef & Arpels showroom, and the highly publicized YTL Residence in Kuala Lumpur. Their meticulous process is on par with the most delicate works of art. Their trademark is tying their projects together with a centerpiece, which are frequently staircases, that dictates the philosophy of the space. Tom Kolnaar describes stairs as an architectural opportunity to “choreograph an experience and play with the views that open up as the visitor moves up each step.”
But it’s their dramatic reinvention of a long unused structure that Haras exists in, and the extraordinary anatomy of its interior, that is inimitable. The brasserie was abandoned during the French Revolution and Manku’s collision of history and contemporary is no less than a masterpiece. The spectacle of their creation, and the source of the projects fame, lies in the beauty of the staircase. Manku puts function on the back burner and prioritizes form. The result is visually irresistible, existing at the intersection of sculpture, performance, and choreography.
The stairs are an art piece that can only be described by comparison to acts of nature. Swirling around the stairs are what look like ribbons or razors of beech wood. It looks like it’s flying. Swirling around the stairs are what look like ribbons or razors of beech wood that appear as though they are going to escape the body of a cyclone that is the stairs. Jouin has said before that “many diners don’t like the idea of being sent upstairs. The staircase had to be an invitation, an enticement.” The stairway is new, but its philosophy and presence are both a compliment and juxtaposition to the building’s history.
The interactive art piece they created functions not only at the focal point of the space, but serves to help the fluidity of the space and human interaction within. The firm’s practice of applying a philosophy to their projects rides on these stairs that Manku calls, “a natural phenomenon, a little bit chaotic, a little bit wild,” and Jouin Manku’s is one part spectacle and one part connection.
