Pivotal, both figuratively and literally, in the refurbishment of the house was the removal of parts of the existing floor and the introduction of a new stairwell that connects all floors. Crowned by a glass vitrine on the roof level and again painted all in white, the staircase acts as a light-well funnelling daylight all the way down to the basement. The balustrades are made out of perforated steel to optimise daylight penetration while the brick wall on the back of the stairs is kept bare to hint at the building’s past. The result, as Arch Studio principal and founder Han Wenqiang describes it, is that “people may feel like walking in the sky”.