RCHITECTURE MORE THAN JUST A VISUAL LU8I I A MULT-SENSORY DESIN APPROACH TO 3 EEATE AN INCLUSIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND VOCATIONAL SPACE

Abstract

Architecture is capable of providing a multi-sensory experience to its users but when it relies heavily on the visuals, it makes our interaction with the built environment, impersonal. This thesis explores the notion that if a space that activates all your senses, instead of just sight, results in an improved experience for everyone, not just for people who are visually impaired, then why are our spaces still non-inclusive? The design approach where vision dominates, the visually impaired members of the community feel excluded. The aim is to create a prototype for a public space that welcomes everyone, sighted and non-sighted users, avoiding a designated space approach, since that is another form of exclusion. Focusing only on creating educational and vocational schools for those who are visually impaired has resulted in a lack of leisure spaces for them. To cater to this, the thesis proposes an inclusive recreational center, while also providing economic stability to those who are visually impaired. Users will be able to learn new skills, harness them to earn a living and consequently, take ownership of the shared space. A multi-sensory design approach is taken where auditory, haptic and olfactory senses are activated and take the center stage, through the proposed programs, resulting in a very personal experience, connecting the users to their surroundings. The focus is on increasing accessibility as well as improving spatial experience for non-sighted users but also redefining how sighted users interact with the built environment. This mixed-use recreation center is proposed opposite to Lake View Park, Islamabad, providing a serene environment for the chosen programs. The thesis explores architecture's capacity of molding itself for its users by attempting to make it more inclusive and experiential, while simultaneously creating awareness and breaking barriers between the sighted and non-sighted community members.