Single-family house with staggered floor, southwest location in Bonn

Huh? So in context, it makes sense to place the staircase at the edge because of the floor area and the setback. I could imagine the staircase at the edge more elongated like in ypg’s suggestion, but wouldn’t know where.

Can we save ourselves the unnecessary dissing of the architect. What’s the point? He’s not here and just make the argument instead.

I’m only looking for a mod/admin because I can no longer edit my old posts.

Can we save ourselves the unnecessary dissing of the architect. What does it achieve? He is not here, so rather make the argument.

Please do not chalk up the inexperience of your architect to me. I *have* argued - it is immediately before the remark that you interpret as "dissing the architect." It is indeed unfortunate that you do not understand such when presented in my words - but when others, who try to convey it to you with completely different wording, only get met with you then also complaining that they did not provide explanations, then they (understandably, in my opinion) will do so with diminishing motivation ;-)

I am only looking for a mod/admin because I can no longer edit my old posts.

The wish to be able to attach all essentials to the opening post unlimited in time has already been repeated several times and delivered by whole choirs of angels' tongues, but unfortunately was not taken care of in several modernization measures ;-)

Putting an unwanted staircase at the edge does not punish the staircase. The optimal location of the exit is in the center of the action. If the sum of the staircase area and the staircase circulation area is almost a constant, one should not also add a lot of approach area to the staircase. Since these areas naturally occur to the same extent on the upper and lower floors, this saving principle applies especially in connection with a compulsion to have differently sized floor areas. These are basics that architecture students should have understood already in the pro-seminar.

I just don’t see the point of your argument. How does the approach area to the staircase increase if you place the staircase at the edge as planned? By having the staircase at the edge, you create space in the living area that otherwise would be staircase, because the staircase doesn’t have to be built set back.

Because the staircase is located at the edge, it creates space in the living area that would otherwise be occupied by the staircase, since the staircase does not have to be set back.

This error in reasoning would only seem "logical" to me if the stairwell were not only exempt from the setback requirement, but also, in this edge location, from the counted floor area.

That's true, but the upper building volume can otherwise be smaller with a larger living area

Very simplified example: Staircase inside

W	W	W	W
W	T	T	W
W	T	T	W
W	W	W	W

Staircase at the edge

W	W	W	W
W	W	W	W
W	W	W	W
W	T	T	W
		_	T	T

I could rather imagine the staircase at the edge as elongated like in ypg’s proposal, but wouldn’t know where.

Because the staircase is at the edge, it creates space in the living area that otherwise would be staircase, as the staircase does not have to be built recessed.

No. Placing a circulation area at the edge makes no sense at all – unless you settle for compact +-80 sqm on each floor, so that every room can still be accessed with short walking distances. As can be clearly seen in the latest drafts, you would have to work with additional corridors all the way to the end of the house. If you place the necessary staircase centrally, you save yourself one or two corridor corners again.

Can we spare ourselves the unnecessary bashing of the architect.

Nobody is bashing the architect here! Also because we don’t even know what priorities you gave him – I usually assume that a layperson sets a tight corset, unaware of what consequences that has for the design.

That’s true, but otherwise the upper building volume can be smaller with higher living space.

All well and good. But with your room requests, aiming to plan as large as possible, the nitpicking over the few sqm that could be saved at the staircase becomes unnecessary. As said before: you “pay” for that with a lot of corridor areas again. Upstairs there is plenty of space for the retreats. I have to honestly say: many thought processes one can read in this thread don’t fit for me into the Bauhaus edition. Just like the wing doesn’t fit into the 60 sqm large living room. Are you sure the concept is really set like that? Or do you just “endure” it, but actually prefer a bit of privacy everywhere? I am happy to tinker with some sketches, but somehow I don’t know where to start. A staircase in the living area is not desired, right?