if you can find documentation of it, the kentucky school for the blind, in louisville, by jasper ward (no relation) is a good example. a great neighborhood institution/landmark - to the point that non-blind friends of mind got married there - that both nurtures its students, child to adult, and integrates them into the activities of the neighborhood. was built in the 70s or 80s and i'm not sure how well it was ever documented.

conceptually...I always thought it would be interesting to study the experiential qualities of "dining in the dark"

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4529325

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901020729-322741,00.html

http://www.opaque-events.jamic.com//

Also, try look at the Braille Institute of America in LA (1977 William L. Pereira)

we are doin some work on the project that steven mentioned.

someone in my thesis year (last year) did this very same thesis on the "blind". he ended up getting very lost in his own thesis (ie. blind leading the blind) because very little exists on this topic. because our university pressed 5th year architectural thesis not as a terminal design project, but as an intensive research project intended to pursue an original theory, he ended up having a difficult time resolving these issues because so little exists. so i commend you on attempting this...

he actually made a visit to washington, dc to see how museums are designed for the blind. he did case studies of 3 different museums and looked (metaphorically) for that which would allow someone to go through the museum. there are quite a few museums in dc who have used textured flooring to "guide" someone through galleries, etc. the holocaust museum offers some interesting features (The two to three hour tour features visually descriptive language, touchable reproductions of several key artifacts, and a model of the Museum.)

just a thought.

actually itake it back. we are doing some work for the american printing house for the blind.

a slightly off-topic, but related anecdote...

i was on the basketball team in highschool and one year we played the florida school for the deaf and blind... the bball team was made up of deaf kids (not blind) for obvious reasons... since the deaf kids obviously couldn't hear the referee's whistle they had this system involving a huge bass drum, which allowed the deaf kids to feel the vibrations... there was a kid in the stands that banged on the drum whenever the game was in play and he would stop the drum when play was stopped... as a result there was always a slight lag in the stoppage of play... we would all stop at the whistle but it would take the deaf kids a few seconds to react... playing there was always a surreal experience because the drum was the only sound in the gym other than the game because students cheered with sign language...

anyways, the point is that the acoustics of a space can be very important to the experience of a space for visually impaired people...

stanley tigerman’s illinois library for the blind and physically handicapped in chicago

i remember linea tiller, a lighting design faculty member at parsons (spelling could be wrong) did a center for blind people. they capitalized on sensory experiences (like how blind ppl can sense different intensities of light) among other really innovative implementations. if you can try to look it up...sorry for the vague info.

Hey guys, I am final year Architecture student and want to work on Architecture for blind for my thesis project. Please guide me what type of environment do they like, I want to do something different for them, something which they want to enjoy, except school or training center.

How about not resurrecting 10-year old discussions?

Guide you, you mean like a guide dog? What about first learning to read date stamps of discussions.

Sometimes 10-year old discussions are worth revisiting.  The first response people typically get around here is 'did you search previous threads?'

serious answer: don't ask architects, ask blind people!

Both the visually impaired and the sighted rely on information and architectural cues to navigate the built environment. As a consultant, who lost all sight in 2008, I draw upon my experience as an architect to help design teams and client organizations to create enriching environments for the visually impaired and, not coincidentally, the sighted as well.

I work as a member of user engagement team, designer, or client representative. I use my unique perspective to facilitate greater clarity in the overall design and better integration of critical tools for the blind—such as way-finding and access to information—through more thorough consideration of tactility, touch, smell, temperature, sound, and new technologies. I also help to craft design processes that are more responsive to the needs of blind clients and end-users.

Great architecture for the blind and visually impaired is just like any other great architecture, only better: it looks and works the same while offering a richer and better involvement of all senses. With this expanded understanding, I offer the potential to enhance the experience in all environments serving a greater proportion of the visually impaired.