“Who Approved This?”: 40 Of The Most Dangerous Stairs People Have Come Across

When it comes to architecture, stairs are supposed to help us get from point A to point B safely. But sometimes, it feels like the designer either skipped class or had a vendetta against ankles. Here comes the internet’s favorite question: “Who approved this?” usually asked with a healthy dose of disbelief, pain, and a slight limp.

People have been sharing some of the most dangerously hilarious stair designs that make you wonder if gravity was ever consulted. From stairs that end in walls to ones that seem to defy every known building code, here are some examples of staircases that are more like obstacle courses.

#1 Stairs For People Who Aren’t Afraid To Die And Who Enjoy The Nauseating Feeling Of Vertigo

Image source: Devin McLachlan

#2 Concrete Steps Stained In Brown And Beige Stripes, Made To Look Like Wood. Stripes Are Parallell With Steps. Unable Identify Number Of Steps

Image source: Magnús Georg Rødtang

#3 Ayo, The Pizza’s Here! Image Description: A Flight Of Stairs That Goes Straightforward For 13 Stories Without Turning

Image source: Richard Vautrin-Hickam

#4 This Stair Is At “Pico Da Tijuca”, Rio De Janeiro, Brasil

Image source: Felipe Muniz

#5 A Set Of Stairs Going Down With A Metal Handrail

Image source: Chris Coman

#6 I Am Amazed By These Stairs… Are They Carved In Marble? Won’t It Be Slippery?

Image source: Farhana Ahsan

#7 Stayed In London Last Fall. Bathroom Was Upstairs

Image source: Marinus de Graaf

#8 Steps Are Complete!!!

Image source: Michael Duty

#9 Looking Down A Window Lit Rail-Less Stairwell. Dark Planks Across A Central Point With No Added Support

Image source: Tabby Jackson

#10 A Wood Staircase Is Covered With Decorative Stones Leaving Only A Narrow And Snaking Path For The User

Image source: Katherine Gales

#11 I Just Found In An Unrelated Group Saying “New Design”

Image source: Ayu Anindithya

#12 Oh Yes, Good Old Huayna Picchu, Legend Says A Couple Of Tourists Die Each Year (Pic Is From Google, But Ive Been There, Its Scarier In Real Life, And Its Always Wet)

Image source: José Tomás Yáñez

#13 Found In An Airbnb Listing. Imagine Being Drunk, Trying To Walk Down These, Stepping On The Wrong Side, And Breaking Your Legs

Image source: Chris Bokros

#14 Stone Stairs So Steep And Narrow They’re Like Climbing A Ladder Almost Straight Up

Image source: Ryan Hamshire

#15 In Brussels, The Vast Majority Of Bars, Cafes And Restaurants Have Their Toilets Down Horrifying Stairs

Image source: Alice Gillam

#16 Francesco Librizzi Studio Designed This Staircase For A House In Milan That Was Built In 1900

Image source: Constantine Goh

#17 A Fire Escape Of The 38-Story Copan Residential Building In São Paulo, Brazil

Image source: Interesting Chit

#18 Left, Picture Of Stairs From Top-The Wood Planks Run Parallel To Stair Edges Seemingly Forming A Flat Surface. Right, Steps Viewed From Bottom After Fall

Image source: Stanna Sims Edwards

#19 Tom Dixon’s Mykonos Villa Is On The Market

Image source: Livingetc

#20 A View Down A Flight Of Stairs Made Of Some Sort Of Wooden Parquet

Image source: Marek Wói

#21 Stairs Hanging From The Ceiling Of A Gas Holder I Didnt Go All The Way Up Far Too Bouncy For My Liking LOL

Image source: Peter Franck

#22 Finland. The House Was Built In 1930. Fire Escape Ladder, “Routed” To Each Apartment

Image source: Thor Fogh Rasmussen

#23 A Set Of Granite-Effect Stairs That Resemble Those Right-Left Space-Savi G Stairs, But Each Step Has A Little Half Step After It

Image source: Anna Ouram

#24 Fire Stairs On A Building In Vietnam Where Handrails Are Only On The Top Floor

Image source: Neverovali ILI DA

#25 8 Helical Stone Stairways Going Down Into A Deep Circular Hole In The Ground

Image source: Laurie Lingel

#26 I’m On Holiday In Cardiff And Let’s Just Say That Medieval Architecture Does Not Meet Modern Safety Standards

Image source: Tricia Anderson

#27 Now Imagine It Filled With Water, Because It’s A Bath Tub

Image source: Ryan Hamshire

#28 There Seems To Be No Good Reason At All To Make These Steps So Wonky. I Almost Broke My Neck

Image source: Ishara Hunter

#29 Someone Commented The Man Built This To Connect With A Daughter Who Passed Away, But I Really Have No Idea Of The True Story

Image source: Gabriel Moreira

#30 (Photo Taken At Fort Knox Me) Stairs Leading Down Into The Murky Water Almost Completely Covered With Slippery Seaweed

Image source: Corey Driscoll

#31 I Present To You, My Basement Steps

Image source: Augusta Ramsey

#32 I Think This Fits In This Group.. I Made 8 Of These 25’ Long Snakes For Private Suites At A Hotel In San Diego Called The Lafayette

Image source: Jordan Mcgarry

#33 Okay, But, What Are The Stairs For?!

Image source: Rob Sweet

#34 Very Narrow, Very Rounded Concrete Stairs Cut Into A Steep Sloping Wall. Stairs Lead To What I Can Only Assume Is The Abyss

Image source: Claire Butcher

#35 Very Narrow Stairs Covered In Dark Plain Carpet, Every Step Seems To Be Different Length And Maybe Even Height.

Image source: Martin Števko

#36 Ruined External Stairs Leading From One Roof To The Other. Venice

Image source: Asia Głowacka-Sączek

#37 This One Takes The Cake. It’s Like Climbing Stairs, But With Your Legs Apart. A Fall From Here Would Be So Bad

Image source: Natasha Irene Nduta

#38 Not One, But Two Amazing Orange S**g Carpeted Spiral Staircases Adorn This 70s Masterpiece Home In Boulder Colorado

Image source: Maggie Nichols

#39 Extremely Steep, Sloped Mountain Located In Saint Helena, With A Woman Sitting On The Upper Most Part Of The Steps, Facing Down Towards An Ocean

Image source: Damian Yates

#40 A Flight Of Steps In The Shape Of A Number 2, Around A Very Steep Wheelchair Ramp That Turns At A Right Angle