Construction Specialties (CS) has engineered DriftReady Stairs, a solution for occupants’ and first responders’ egress and ingress during and after a seismic event. Architects can now confidently specify a tested, safe and resilient stairs solution that can reduce building repair cost and recovery time after a seismic event. In trying to develop a safe and resilient stair system, CS thought of the human backbone—it provides strong support, but also flexes with the movement of the body. Patent-pending technology keeps stairs stable at rest, yet flexible when a building moves. Stairs have a positive connection system that prevents the stairs from locking up in rotation or transverse movements and move with the building, so instead of acting like a brace and transferring damaging forces back to the building, the system flexes and accommodates the movement without impacting the stairs or its surrounding components.
