TANGIBLE FROM THE INTANGIBLES SCHOOL & VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED/BLIND

Abstract

Ocular centrism has shifted the focus of the design of built environment on visual element rather than the sensory experience of the space itself. The aim of this study is to explore "into the unknown" to make the user experience a stimulation of the non-visual senses in order to make them aware of the character of space that would enable them to orientate within a space and identify with it. The basic marker of the design is "nature" that forms the essence of the experience of the building, as it is an extension of body, skin, senses and memory i.e. a design based on the sensory qualities is suitable for the training of the visually disadvantaged people to empower them to adopt the lifestyle and gain their sense of independence. By enhancing the person's ability to gather information through his senses, action of experiencing and navigation in the outside world can be made easy for visually disadvantaged people. Transcending beyond the bias of vision and designing inclusive built environments addressing all the people who are in different sensory capacities is required. Hence, it will put emphasis on design which considers all the senses, which gives information as it is undoubtedly more holistic and complete than the design that only considers sight. 5