The importance of Multisensory Architecture tools in designing learning spaces for visually impaired children

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Architecture Department- Faculty of Fine Arts- Helwan University

2 Architecture & Urban Design, Faculty of Fine Arts – Helwan University

3 Associate Professor of Architecture & Urban Design, The Architecture Department of faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University

Abstract

This study discusses the importance of using multisensory architecture tools to reach the best performance in designing learning spaces for different levels of visually impaired children. It discusses the effect of designing by our five senses in achieving the purpose of our design. As it’s known that Architecture is one of the main basics of environmental components. This study mainly aims to shed light on the idea that the Architecture can’t be considered as a visual tool but it is a multisensory tool that could be used to feel and understand the environment.
So, it was important to discuss the architecture tools that could be felt by our all senses. Besides discussing the idea, that in the case of losing the visual sense, the building should have the same ability to be understood by other senses. By missing these tools, the pupils with visual impairment disability cannot be able to use their right to live normally.
The study analysis a successful case study of designing a classroom for the blind in Pattaya city in Thailand. This project has won a prize in the 2019 Inside World Festival of Interiors in Amsterdam. The analysis of this project appeared the architecture tools that used to make this classroom a multisensory space that could be felt by students 'different senses. Besides highlighting the basic senses that should be used to design a space for visually impaired users.
The study concludes that by applying the Multisensory Design tools, visually impaired users could feel space by Touching, Hearing, smelling or even feel space by their thermoreceptors. A building that created with the multisensory can achieve great success as an architecture product or a human product.

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