I think there regulations were differenet. As I understand it, throwing people down the steps after cutting their throats or something was part of the design spec.
Remember, Chichen Itza is in the middle of what amounts to a cocaine jungle.
Indeed. Meso american culture is noted for its barbarity.
Several people have died at Chichen Itza. (from falling down it) You are not allowed to go up it any more.
Building regs are actually fairly sane on staircases IMHO. Falling down stairs is a very frequent cause of severe injury to elederly people. Especially those living with their children I would imageine
"She just tripped, honest gov, the kids must have left their toys there"
"amd how do you explain teh boot mark in teh small of het back then"
"err.....I left my boot on teh stairs as well. Must have fallen on it, honest gov"
I didn't see that bit, I imagined Egypt ... I really MUST read more carefully (remembering teachers' tellings off ... )
No change there ... :-(
Mary
LOL!
Er - why SHE???
Not all elderly people are female ... are you suggesting something?
Mary
"Christian McArdle" wrote | > As i have just removed a stud wall separating our stairs from | > another room and now it is an open gap (which we would like | > to keep this way). | > The other wall still exists and has a hand rail. | There are two issues here, handrails and guarding.
Third issue - protection of the staircase in the event of fire?
Guarding might be met with a glass bannister.
As an aside, I have come across an increasing number of staircases and walkways which are not (visually) 'solid'. In one building, the walkways are metal grille and the sides are a mix of tensioned wires and glass. The lift is also glass. In another (actually a bridge) the sides are of clear glass with no top rail.
I wonder whether there is any consideration given under Part M (as it is in E&W) and the Disability Discrimination Act towards vertigo sufferers? I have a friend who suffers from vertigo and she finds this type of building extremely difficult to use. In one case she has to have a porter accompany here from one side of a library to another because of the walkway construction. These are all recent public buildings so should comply with any regs going.
Owain
"Mary Fisher" wrote | It could be argued so but I think that such guards on doors | don't teach children to be careful. They only need to bruise | fingers once ... experience is a great teacher and trapped | fingers are hardly extreme injuries.
Especially with the modern cardboard doors that have no weight in them. I wouldn't want my finger squeezed by a heavy old door slamming shut though.
Owain
Nor I - that's why one experience works:-)
Are modern doors really made of cardboard?
Mary
Slightly off topic, but the ones that make me wince are those glass doors which are hinged at the top and bottom, and leave a small gap when open which could easily take fingers.
PoP
I should think that car doors do far more damage. I had my finger trapped in an Icelandic taxi and no-one inside could hear me pleading for the door to be open. I was lucky they didn't drive off. You don't necessarily learn from such an experience because other people shut the doors on you ...
Mary
Some years ago I went out for a pint with my uncle, and he had one of those old Rover 90's (the sort where you'd take off the top part, replace it with a cannon and call it a Sherman).
We picked up his apprentice and dropped him off outside the pub. They were always having a laugh, and on this occasion uncle pulled away as he started getting out of the car.
Unfortunately on a Rover 90 the rear doors open the opposite way to normal, so the apprentice was literally spread over the pavement.....
I think uncle bought the drinks immediately afterwards!
PoP
Yep. Just broke my foot today falling down three steps of my genuine authentic 19th century wooden stairs. They are going no matter what the conservation officer thinks !!!!!!
Oh - I drove into a mini bus in one of those. The driver of mini bus was going through red lights. He ended up in hospital, I walked away. I loved that car but it certainly was like a tank. It wrote off not only the mini bus but itself and a very large lamp standard.
My wedding day was supposed to end in a splendid meal at a very expensive restaurant. My father had his hand trapped in the top of the door of a hire car and ended up in A&E.
We all ended up at a Chinese restaurant- not quite the same as what Spouse's father had intended ...
Mary
"Mary Fisher" wrote | Are modern doors really made of cardboard?
Yes :-) (Or something like it)
Two flat outer skins of hardboard separated by a cellular corrugated-cardboard core. (Cardboard has quite good compression strength provided it's supported from bending - think of the weight a toilet-roll core will support on end.)
There was an episode of the Generation Game where the contestants had to make a door.
Owain
Oh, that kind of door. Are they still made?
I know. I use that strength in packing fragile goods.
er ... Generation Game?
Mary
I slipped on the stairs about 4 years ago - straight onto my coxix or whatever that small knob at the base of the spine is. With some 15 stone going down on it it's a wonder I didn't do myself very serious damage.
And I was practicing the grand old duke of york at the time - halfway up/halfway down. No chance of removing those stairs so it's more careful for me :)
PoP
My story is that about the same time Spouse had made me some new C15th shoes - we were going to a mediaeval Christmas at St Briavel's Castle - and I tried them on upstairs. I realised that the soles were very slippery and that they might not grip on stone steps.
So I went down our (carpeted!) stairs, wearing them, to ask him to rough them up.
I was only (!) 12 stones but the bruises on my extensive thigh were vast and deep and as colourful as only bruises can be. I couldn't sit straight on the wooden benches or sleep in any position. It was a memorable Christmas and I was jolly lucky not to have suffered more permanent damage.
Not the fault of the stairs though - simply stupidity on my part. I'm extremely careful these days.
Mary
Are you really going to rip out a 100+ year old staircase because you tripped and hurt your foot?
cheers, Pete.
Yes ! They are lethal anyway as headroom is 5'6", have no proper bannisters and are steeper than 45 degrees. House is not listed or anything and even my BCO took an instant dislike to them as well on seeing them.
"Mary Fisher" wrote | "PoP" wrote | > "G&M" wrote: | > >Yep. Just broke my foot today falling down three steps of my | > >genuine authentic 19th century wooden stairs. | > I slipped on the stairs about 4 years ago - straight onto my | > coxix or whatever that small knob at the base of the spine is. | My story is that about the same time Spouse had made me some new | C15th shoes - we were going to a mediaeval Christmas at St | Briavel's Castle - and I tried them on upstairs. I realised | that the soles were very slippery and that they might not | grip on stone steps.
Gymnasts' rosin?
| So I went down our (carpeted!) stairs, wearing them, to ask him | to rough them up. | I was only (!) 12 stones but the bruises on my extensive
but firm and shapely I'm sure :-)
| thigh were vast and deep and as colourful as only bruises can be.
I once tried riding a spacehopper down the stairs. It had a soft landing. I didn't.
Owain
"Mary Fisher" wrote | "Owain" wrote | > | Are modern doors really made of cardboard? | > Yes :-) (Or something like it) | > Two flat outer skins of hardboard separated by a cellular | > corrugated-cardboard core. | Oh, that kind of door. Are they still made?
Yes. They seem especially popular in America (doing a google search for cardboard core door).
| > There was an episode of the Generation Game where the | > contestants had to make a door. | er ... Generation Game?
A popular televisual entertainment of the 1980s, featuring Mr Larry Grayson, a well-known and rather camp variety entertainer (whose catchphrase was, appropriately for the topic, "Shut that door!") assisted by Isla St Clair.
Owain
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