In 2009, Intrinsik Architecture, Inc. won an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Small Projects Award for the Counterbalanced Steel Stair at the Apple 8 Guesthouse in Bozeman Montana. Access to a third level loft required double usage of floor space at its second level landing: stairs up and hallway through to a master bedroom suite.  This overlap in programming inspired a counterbalanced stair which could be manually pulled down or pushed up as required with a minimum of physical effort.  A pre-manufactured aluminum stair was adapted to this function with the use of innovative steel detailing, including a 2.25” O.D. adjustable torsion bar running the length of the stair; an idea originating from an automotive industrial design, and a vertical track utilizing modified rubber skateboard wheels to guide the counterbalance up and down the western wall.

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