DIALOGUE IN THE DARK - Designing inclusive space for the visually impaired
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Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Program
Publicerad
2020
Författare
Rong, Tian
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
Dialogue in the dark explores architectural strategies to enhance the social inclusion
of people with visual impairment. In the latest world report on vision (WHO,
2019), at least 2.2 billion people around the world have a vision impairment.
The figure in Sweden is approximately 100,000. It is quite a large group in the
world. However, due to their dysfunction problems and the lack of inclusive
environment, they are easy to be excluded by most of the architecture today.
Even worse, they have a higher risk of being marginalized in society. There
seems to be an invisible wall dividing the visually impaired and the sighted.
The thesis aims to break down the “invisible wall” and create opportunities for
equal dialogue between these two groups. Mutual understanding is the key to social
integration and interaction. The idea is to encourage the visually disabled to embrace
the world and to raise public awareness and overcome prejudice and stereotype.
To achieve the goal, it starts with the question - what type of buildings do we
need, and how could it interact with the public? By literature study, case, and
historical study, it resulted in an activity center for the visually impaired but also
shared by the public. The building provides an inclusive, collaborative, and creative
environment for everyone. It is a place where the visually impaired can gather
around and provide peer support for each other. Besides wandering around the
building brings people into an immersive multi-sensory journey, which slows us
down and focus on the body itself and its relation with the external environment.
Another intention of the thesis is to explore the possibility of materializing the
abstract senses and investigating how to stimulate them by architecture. Instead
of a thorough study of all the senses, it mainly focuses on haptic perception
and how to use architectural materials to support active and passive touch.
Hopefully, the thesis will lead to a discussion about how to emphasize the visually
impaired in design and architecture and therefore contributing to an inclusive society.
Visual impairment, social inclusion, activity center, multi-sensory design, haptic
design