Designing for the Senses
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Abstract
The typology for this project will be a school for the blind. The blind and visually handicapped have the right to be able to navigate effortlessly through the built environment. It is our job as designers to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of everyone who uses our buildings; therefore, in designing we must consider everyone’s needs. A design that considers all the senses through which we gather information will undoubtedly be more holistic and complete than one that only considers sight.
The narrative examines the importance of this project and discusses why we as designers need to focus on the problem. The client for this project will be the state of Minnesota and the primary users will be blind and visually handicapped students as well as teachers, administrators and staff. The major project elements of this approximately 40,000sqft building will include: classrooms, dorms, offices, sensory room, a gymnasium, sensory garden, and a kitchen. This project will be located in Anoka, Minnesota, north of Bunker Lake Blvd and just east of the Rum River. It will emphasize designing for all the senses and research for the project will be done in the areas of: project typology, historical context, site analysis, and programmatic requirements. Lastly, the design process will be documented and preserved in a thesis book.