The Dutch fascination with stairs intrigues me. The British share it to some degree, but there it can be explained by the fact that everything is just really old and stairs were the only system available. The European interest in saving energy explains it to some degree – my apartment, for example, doesn’t have an elevator, and that makes sense. It’s good for me and the environment, how could anyone object? But that doesn’t explain the prevalent presence of stairs completely. Take, for example, the broad gently sloping stairs that lead up to the door to my apartment building. Why are they there? Or consider the four-step stairs that commonly go up or down to doors. The Ugandan Embassy has one such staircase that leads down to their entrance. (Why I know this is another story completely). What purpose do the stairs serve? There must be an explanation, and it probably involves soil and water tables and geophysical intricacies beyond my knowledge.
My favorite unexplained staircase is in the Atrium in one of the University of Amsterdam buildings. It strikes me anew every time I see it, which is only once a week. One must go up a steep set of stairs, cross a platform, and then go down another set of stairs in order to get into food-serving area, which is on the same level as all the seating and the other food stands. I’m guessing the stair-platform system is there to block off the area when it is closed. But there are doors and gates that serve the same purpose and would involve less construction. Perhaps the Dutch create artificial slopes and heights because they don’t have much in the way of natural hills?