All over the world there are examples of ladders and improvised ladders being used for access to homes and for survival, be it for finding food, escaping danger or observing threats.

Modern architects in Japan, Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects, have used ladders to provide access between the different rooms in 'House', a house designed in a modular fashion with lots of separate, but connected areas.  It is a showcase of minimalist living with lots of space saving ideas and built in storage, and the use of ladders rather than staircases between each level is a continuation of this concept.  Japanese homes do tend to be small and compact so this is a somewhat of a modern classic in design terms.

Previous posts have touched on the subject of space saving staircases as an alternative to a loft ladder in cases where the loft space is a permanently used area, and there are lots of different styles of space saving staircase.  Perhaps the one that makes the cleverest use of space is the style that makes a bookshelf out of the treads, creating a tiny library on the stairs. With a library that runs around the staircase, there's no need for a ladder on rails to reach the tallest shelves!

In parts of the world where there are predators and food scavengers present, such as in the jungle or rainforest, lots of people live in huts raised off the ground on stilts. There is no permanent ladder fixed for access, as this would allow entry for the very things people are trying to keep out, but instead a ladder is carved from a tree trunk and left underneath the house for climbing in when it's needed.  Instead of being a ladder in the ‘normal’ sense, this is more like a series of grooves cut into the trunk that form hand and foot holds.  This style of ladder is found in Sarawak,Malaysia, in China and also in Ghana and other parts of Africa. It is very simple to make and requires few tools. It is also very sturdy and reliable and with no parts to snap or break it will never need mending.

On Hilbre Island in Mersey side there is a very unusual ladder.  It is quite old and was built to serve the lifeboat station.  As the lifeboat station is no longer in use it has been allowed to rust, but still remains an attractive piece of history. The ladder itself is made from iron, and is set into a cliff face.  The area behind where the ladder is set has been hollowed out in a groove shape, a space which has been provided for the hands and feet of the people climbing the ladder.  Instead of the normal system of rails and rungs, this ladder is a sheet of iron with alternating foot and hand holds cut out. More iron has been rolled over the top of these cut away areas to make it easier to hold on to.  The holds are semi-circular in shape, with the foot holds being large and almost as wide as the ladder, and the hand holds being half the size and arranged in pairs, alternating with the foot holds.  This makes quite a nice pattern, and surely this ladder must have its fair share of admirers, from the worlds of ladders, naval people and iron workers.

St Mary’s church in Brabourne,Kent, has a long ladder (set at an angle) made from the split trunk of an oak tree (which forms the side rails) and triangular treads also made from the same tree.  The ladder provides access to the belfry from the vestry of the church and was fitted not long after the church was built in 1144.  Although it looks more like a very steep staircase, it is referred to locally as a ladder, which just goes to show that even if it doesn't look like a ladder, it can still be a ladder.

In Pemberton, Australia, there is an old Karri tree that was once used as a fire lookout.  Today, tourists can climb the tree for views over the forest using the pegs hammered into the side of the tree in 1946 for the purpose of fire-watchers climbing up for their sentry shifts.  The pegs have been inserted into the tree in a spiral shape, so instead of a straight up-and-down ladder, this one is a spiral ladder that goes all the way around the tree.  Netting around the outside has been added to stop people falling off!

Chiangmai in Thailand also has a similar tree ladder, this time made of wood.  Wooden pegs hammered into the trunks of trees create an access method for local people to collect honey and fruits from the trees, which grow very tall.  In Maui,Hawaii, there is a ladder on a Banyan tree that is formed of planks of wood nailed into the tree.  As the tree has grown, the shafts of the trunk have fixed the rungs in more securely.  There is even a ladder made from a tree in America that has been formed by arborculture, the practice of creating sculpture or furniture from a living tree by tweaking with the growing of the tree so it creates the shapes you desire. Axel Erlandson, who died without being able to pass on his arborculture skills, made this tree ladder.  He discovered his ability by trial and error and created many wonderful works of living art while he was alive.

Another example of tree ladders are the ones found on deer stands.  Deer stands vary a lot in design and construction, with some being free-standing and others attached to trees.  They all make use of ladders for access though.  Ladder stands are designed to have the platform (where the hunter sits and waits) attached to the top section of the ladder.  The ladder itself comes in several sections, depending on the height of the tree, and is assembled in place once the location for hunting has been chosen.  The stands fix into the tree, with the ladder at the front.  Where there are no trees, or no trees suitable for fixing a stand into, a different option is the tripod stand.  This has three legs and a small ladder at the front.  The ladder has only one rail, instead of the usual two, and the rungs are set across this central rail. Tripod stands are designed for use where there is no provision for a permanent or semi-permanent structure and where moving on quickly as easily is important.

There are also deer stands which are not fixed to trees but which are semi-permanent.  These hunting stands are used for hunting deer and other animals and consist of a four-legged stand with either a simple platform or a full hide on top.  The only way to get to the top is to climb a ladder, and some of these are built into the construction of the legs.  Some homemade ones might have a rope ladder or a more simple ladder as the access method, and some may even use one of the legs as the ladder, with rungs nailed across as with the ladder on a tripod deer stand.

Although not strictly an access ladder, as it was not designed for accessing anywhere specifically, it is worth ending with the Cima ladder.  This ladder was created by a duo of designers living and working in Barcelona, Spain.  Instead of being formed from several pieces of wood, or metal, this ladder is moulded as a single piece of carbon fibre composite.  The ladder is in the shape of an oblong frame, and the features that comprise the rungs are fin-like shapes protruding inwards from the sides of the frame.  The construction is flat, so it is easily stored, and, according to the creators, because it is a single piece of material, there is less likelihood of it breaking.  It certainly doesn't look like a ladder, and the shape of the 'rungs' and the fact that they don't go all the way across from rail to rail make it seem like this would not be a good ladder for heavy use.  It would be quite easy for a foot to slip off a rung, and nothing would break the fall until the floor.  However as a ladder for just getting books or mugs down off a high shelf in a modern home it would look quite good.  Perhaps not so good as a lifeboat ladder, on a deer stand or for watching out for fires!