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Dec 3, 2021 · Chris Downey. Consulting on projects of all kinds, the California architect draws on his own blind experience to harmonize the needs of everyone. By Fred A. Bernstein. December 3, 2021.
Jun 19, 2022 · 60 Minutes - Newsmakers. Architect goes blind, says he's actually gotten better at his job. By Lesley Stahl. June 19, 2022 / 6:53 PM EDT / CBS News. At age 45, Chris Downey had pretty much...
- Correspondent
- 14 min
- Design Is Not Just A Visual Process
- Downey’s Recent Work
- How Many Blind People Are Out There, Anyway?
- Blind People Use The Same Buildings as The Rest of Us
- Designing Sensory-Rich Environments
- Beautiful Buildings That Sound Good
- Does The Americans with Disabilities Act Help The Blind?
- Accessibility Features That Work
“We’re used to thinking of design as being a visual process. But really, design is an intellectual process, and the visual dimension is a tool to aid in that. It’s one way of getting information, but it’s not the only way.” Downey found several methods that he could use to to create new designs and to communicate with other members of the design te...
Downey discussed some of his recent design projects, which are mainly focused on serving people who are visually impaired. He learned a lot from working with the SmithGroup and The Design Partnershipon the VA Polytrauma and Blind Rehabilitation Center in Palo Alto. “What makes for a beautiful building, a delightful building, if you can’t see it?” h...
At first, designs for the so-called “blind population” might seem to serve only a small number of people, until one considers the fact that total blindness is only the most extreme form of visual impairment. People who are legally blind, for example, cannot drive a car but they can often see well enough to perform other tasks. They, too, have had t...
Not only is the problem widespread, but consider also that dedicated centers and schools aren’t the only areas that are used by people with visual impairments. Other areas that are especially problematic for visually impaired people include transit centers, public buildings, cafes, and even supposedly “pedestrian-friendly” sidewalks. People who are...
Once Downey started to lay it all out, a lot of it seemed like common sense, like the fact that people with poor vision use other senses to compensate. To be more user-friendly, buildings and environments should speak to senses other than vision, to make places more recognizable for a wider spectrum of abilities. Integrated holistic architecturewas...
During the talk, someone asked what a beautiful building might be for someone who couldn’t see it. Downey replied, “It’s about appropriateness. A cathedral will have a different sound than a bedroom. Inside the SmithGroup offices in San Francisco, there was a hard walkway and I could tell by their footsteps not only who was coming but what mood the...
Well, not as much as it could, according to Downey. “ADA doesn’t address the visual much. It’s more about mobility. But there are spaces that are fine for people in wheelchairs that are hazardous to blind people.” First he showed us a bunch of “head-bangers” that made everyone wince and clutch their foreheads. In the first photo, Downey showed hims...
So, what sort of features actually work for visually impaired people? Downey listed several areas of concern and discussed the trial-and-error method of discovering solutions.
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Chris Downey is an architect who went suddenly blind in 2008; he contrasts life in his beloved San Francisco before and after -- and shows how the thoughtful designs that enhance his life now might actually make everyone's life better, sighted or not.
Being one of the very few working blind architects in the world, Chris Downey has been featured in local, national, and international media stories and has also participated in TED talks about architecture, visual impairment, and blindness.
Chris Downey is an architect, planner, and consultant. Working with design teams and clients, he draws on his unique perspective as a seasoned architect without sight, helping to realize environments that offer not only greater physical accessibility, but also a dimension of delight in architecture experienced through other senses.
Chris Downey, AIA is an architect with over 30 years of professional practice - continuing without sight since 2008.
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