Horizons for the Blind
a workplace and community center
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Judson University_Fall 2010_Junior Design Studio
a workplace and community center
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Judson University_Fall 2010_Junior Design Studio
This project brought forth the unique challenges of designing a new facility for Horizons for the Blind, a small business employing unsighted and partially sighted individuals. Fulfilling the needs of new offices and production spaces, a community component was added, including a library, gallery space, and lecture hall.
Instead of focussing on visual cues, the building serves its users through organizational, tectonic, and phenomenal applications. The core concept focusses on the experience of feeling light, playing with light and shadow as cues for circulation and transition. Workspaces with controlled daylighting on the building's southern end allow workers to experience the change of the seasons with the change of the sun. A continuous waterfall feature at the building's main entrance serves as a cue for entry.
