Building Voice: Visually impaired architect, Christopher Downey, lectures in Downtown Miami

2015-10-05T12:53:00-04:00

Architect Christopher Downey came to Miami to present a lecture as part of a local exhibit called Listen to This Building. The exhibit is organized Exile Books, a pop-up artist’s book store, and is meant to show the architecture of downtown Miami through the senses of touch and as stated in the title of the show, through hearing. It is believed to be the first architectural exhibit designed to address accessibility for persons with visual impairments. Downey is an architect who is visually impaired having lost his eyesight in 2008 yet continues to practice architecture in the Bay Area. His lecture, “Building Voice” is a play on words, as it can be interpreted as the acoustic characteristics of an edifice or the creation of an individual’s style.

“If you’re going to lose your eye sight, start training yourself to be an architect”, says Downey, who believes his training and the 20 years of practicing architecture before the loss has given him a set of skills (problem solving, criti...

Miami Center for Architecture and Design forced to look for a new home

2015-04-14T21:06:00-04:00

The Miami Center for Architecture and Design has two and a half years to find new digs. The landlord, Stambul, has declined to renew the lease on their current location, a grand two floor space in the Old U.S. Post Office which the Miami Chapter of the American Institute of Architects meticulously brought back to life.

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Building Voice: Visually impaired architect, Christopher Downey, lectures in Downtown Miami

Miami Center for Architecture and Design forced to look for a new home