Archinect - News

Apple's impressive approach to architectural accessibility

2018-02-26T19:58:00-05:00

In our most recent episode of Archinect Sessions, we briefly discussed the (hilarious) news of people running into glass walls and dodging deadly icicles at Apple-designed buildings. It was also mentioned, however, that Apple is one of the few mega-corps that are truly pushing excellence in design, so it's understandable that innovation also comes with its fair share of failures.

Over the weekend Twitter user @xarph shared some photos of the impressive approach to (architectural) accessibility at Apple Park Visitor's Center, the publicly accessible component of Apple's new campus.

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“3D Soundscape” Can Guide Blind People Through Cities

2014-11-19T15:19:00-05:00

Enter Cities Unlocked, a project intended to help people with sight loss navigate cities. The brainchild of a blind Microsoft employee, it uses GPS, a 3D audio headset, and Bluetooth beacons, among other technologies. [...] “I’m a blind person, I need to keep my ears open,” she says. The headset uses bone-conducting technology, in which vibrations create a “3D soundscape” around the user.

The Radical Challenge of Building a Dorm for the Deaf

2013-08-27T18:19:00-04:00

The first thing you notice when walking into Gallaudet University’s newest residence hall is how utterly familiar it looks. [...] Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. is home to nearly 2,000 students who are deaf or hearing impaired, and its recently built dorm was designed with them specifically in mind.