Frenzy Stair

Frenzy Stair is a residential apartment building in Mehrshahr, Karaj, designed by Sepideh Elmi Studio (Sepideh Elmi). The project is an experiment around the element of the stair in space — an exploration of how stairs, which the architect describes as "archives of memory" and "in-between spaces that are mostly overlooked and imprisoned inside a box," can be reimagined.

The stair is conceived as an arrangement that has escaped its perpetually imposed box — a theatrical space for staging everyday life. Moving from the centre to the edge, the stair positions itself at the boundary between public and private, redefining the facade — which is so often reduced to a two-dimensional surface — as a stage for dialogue with public space. The distinction between public and private life profoundly affects behaviour, dress, and even bodily movements. Frenzy Stair is an insurrection against the imposed distinction between these realms.

While all other elements sit in their ordinary positions without structural alteration, the stair — whose job it is to connect levels — refuses to comply. This project, in line with the studio's research on the elements of architectural language and performative architecture, questions the possibility of thinking about space's impact on the everyday — on seeing and being seen. At the 25th Memar Award, Frenzy Stair received 5 points and placed 3rd in the Apartment Buildings category.