Staircases provide vertical access to connected floors in a multi-story building, and are a functional part of it. Stairwells are often used to place several stairs one above the other to save vertical space. The entrance to elevators is often located in the stairwell.

A staircase is the structure of the stair itself which includes the platforms, risers, treads and the related handrails. A stairwell is the space contained with a fire-rated enclosure that houses the stair and typically has fire-rated doors on each landing platform. The design does not need any support, an attachment at the bottom and the top is all it needs. The bonus point of this design is its ease of installation of staircase railings and handrails.