Most people who remember Rock climbing the steps in front of the Philadelphia square are familiar with the fact that climbing stairs is supposed to be an excellent form of exercise.
For those who are not Rocky Balboa enthusiasts, climbing stairs is still a well known exercise to help keep the body shape, but now researchers are looking seriously into the positive effects that climbing stairs can have.
Due to the fact that climbing or descending stairs can be beneficial and may even help solve the nation’s problem of obesity, researchers are advocating that designers approach stairs creatively to help make them a more popular choice among people.
In fact, some designers have even considered adding music to stairwells to make them a more desirable way to travel throughout a building.
One of the largest problems with stairway use is that the stairs have gotten a bad rap in the past associated with a fire exit only or as creaky old stairwells that contain more dirt than a pleasurable way to access the building’s floors.
Other distractions that also draw people away from regular stair use is the fact they often lack carpeting due to fire codes and in many cases have large heavy doors which intimidate people accompanied by little or no air conditioning.
The report authors are encouraging designers to attack these preconceptions making stairs a central feature instead of a fire compliance thrown in along the side as an afterthought and by making small improvements in buildings that are already existing.
They also stated that with just a little extra flair such as artwork in the stairwells, and some carpet stair use may increase naturally on its own.
