Archinect - News 2024-05-15T16:15:44-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/150173054/miniature-architecture-allows-the-visually-impaired-to-experience-scale-and-detail Miniature architecture allows the visually impaired to experience scale and detail Sean Joyner 2019-12-04T17:45:00-05:00 >2024-03-15T01:45:58-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/31/312715dbe708a07c6f58651e09b84820.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p>Despite changes in technology and forms of representation, around the world, architectural models continue to address an important issue in aesthetic experience: Providing access to architecture for the visually impaired.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>"Whether it&rsquo;s marveling at the&nbsp;height of the Eiffel Tower&nbsp;or gaining a new appreciation for the decorative tiling at the Taj Mahal, seeing these famous sites with one&rsquo;s own eyes is one of the biggest pleasures of travel. But what about those with visual impairments?" <a href="https://mymodernmet.com/bronze-scale-models-visually-impaired/" target="_blank">writes Jessica Stewart</a> of&nbsp;<em>My Modern Met</em>.</p> <figure><figure><a href="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/e0/e039ddf437f45b669457fb5c233e9e0e.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=1028" target="_blank"><img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/e0/e039ddf437f45b669457fb5c233e9e0e.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=514"></a><figcaption>Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion. (Wikimedia Commons)</figcaption></figure></figure><figure><figure><a href="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/df/df11da2807822ed48f8f67ea06816752.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=1028" target="_blank"><img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/df/df11da2807822ed48f8f67ea06816752.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=514"></a><figcaption>Mathias Church. (Wikimedia Commons)</figcaption></figure></figure><p>It's an important question, one with an answer that displays itself in physical form. Scale models, like those created by&nbsp;German sculptor&nbsp;<a href="http://egbert-broerken.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Egbert Broerken</a>, situate themselves across the globe in various city centers, allowing the visually impaired to explore the urban landscape under the nerves of their fingertips.</p> <figure><figure><a href="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/8f/8f84a8c5d8c6b5a4705c4bbd6b9b1881.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=1028" target="_blank"><img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/8f/8f84a8c5d8c6b5a4705c4bbd6b9b1881.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=514"></a><figcaption>Market Square. Poznan, Poland. (Wikimedia Commons)</figcaption></figure></figure><figure><figure><a href="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/67/6751f87f65f01e8b2b96be5fc0b7eab3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=1028" target="_blank"><img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/67/6751f87f65f01e8b2b96be5fc0b7eab3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=514"></a><figcaption>Mai...</figcaption></figure></figure>