What Are Vertical Risers and Demising Walls?

Vertical Risers

• In general, the term vertical riser refers to anything that is laid out vertically within a building. The term is typically used in connection with multi-floored buildings. Ducts are often installed as one type of vertical riser. These are especially common in units that have central heating or cooling units located at the top or bottom of the building, with vertical ducts taking the heated or cooled air to each floor. Other examples of vertical risers are water pipes and electrical conduit.

Cabling

• In many cases, cables that go from the ground to the top of a power pole or other tall object are also referred to as vertical risers. These often require a significant amount of support so that they don’t stretch or collapse. Specialized cabling, such as that used in a mine shaft, is another type of vertical riser. Many other industries also use vertical risers in one form or another, but they all share the common characteristic of a vertical (rather than a horizontal) orientation.

Stairs

• Stairs are made up of several parts. The flat top of the stair--the part that is stepped on when someone goes up or down--is called the tread. The part of the stair that sits at the back of one tread and supports the front of the next step up is called the vertical riser, sometimes referred to as simply the riser. The piece of the tread that sticks out slightly past the riser is called the nose. Some stairs don’t use vertical risers and instead leave that space open, but interior stairs, especially in homes, commonly have risers in place.

Demising Walls

• The definition of a demising wall is any wall that is shared by the tenants of a building. This can include the walls between units as well as the walls that separate each unit from common space, such as between a residence and a shared hallway. Such walls are also sometimes referred to as party walls due to the fact that they are shared, and in some cases, they may be termed as demising partitions. Typically, all tenants that share a wall also share the responsibility for its maintenance.