Designing a Butterfly Garden for the Blind :: Architecture Design Essays

Designing a Butterfly Garden for the Blind The research and preparation for this essay have made me realize not only how interesting and unique this project is, but also how useful and valuable such a â€Å"Garden for the Blind† could really be. The blindfolded Butterfly Garden experience specifically helped me realize to a great extent how much we as humans greatly overemphasize our sense of sight, and do not take full advantage of all the senses most of us have been blessed with to use and appreciate. Just as the restaurant â€Å"Dans le Noir?† is not restricted to only the blind, I believe this Garden for the Blind should be for everyone to enjoy and experience. Perhaps those patrons who are gifted with sight could do as we did at the Butterfly Garden and close their eyes, wear sunglasses, put on blindfolds, or whatever means of covering their eyes so that they could truly feel the impact of the garden’s beauty without relying on merely the sense of sight. Joy Malnar and Frank Vodvarkaà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Sensory Design helped accustom me to the idea that our other senses are just as important, but vastly underused, when compared with the sense of sight. The architecturally-focused book’s brief section on gardens and emphasis on non-ocular senses helped me start thinking in the proper frame of mind for this garden’s design. Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class was able to aid in my creative thinking processes, and proved very helpful thanks to the revelation that creativity is not a â€Å"gift† that only some people are blessed with, but rather a frame of mind that anyone who works hard enough can attain and master for some creative purpose. All of these various sources helped provide me with the right mindset and creative energy in order to come up with the ideas and thoughts about the â€Å"Garden for the Blind† I am about to describe. A continuing theme that one cannot avoid when considering developing anything geared specifically toward the blind is that all visual, sight-based elements are useless. However, this is not to say that the designer is greatly limited or handicapped. The wealth of possibilities that exist through taking advantage of all our other, non-exploited senses is endless. Designing a Butterfly Garden for the Blind :: Architecture Design Essays Designing a Butterfly Garden for the Blind The research and preparation for this essay have made me realize not only how interesting and unique this project is, but also how useful and valuable such a â€Å"Garden for the Blind† could really be. The blindfolded Butterfly Garden experience specifically helped me realize to a great extent how much we as humans greatly overemphasize our sense of sight, and do not take full advantage of all the senses most of us have been blessed with to use and appreciate. Just as the restaurant â€Å"Dans le Noir?† is not restricted to only the blind, I believe this Garden for the Blind should be for everyone to enjoy and experience. Perhaps those patrons who are gifted with sight could do as we did at the Butterfly Garden and close their eyes, wear sunglasses, put on blindfolds, or whatever means of covering their eyes so that they could truly feel the impact of the garden’s beauty without relying on merely the sense of sight. Joy Malnar and Frank Vodvarkaà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Sensory Design helped accustom me to the idea that our other senses are just as important, but vastly underused, when compared with the sense of sight. The architecturally-focused book’s brief section on gardens and emphasis on non-ocular senses helped me start thinking in the proper frame of mind for this garden’s design. Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class was able to aid in my creative thinking processes, and proved very helpful thanks to the revelation that creativity is not a â€Å"gift† that only some people are blessed with, but rather a frame of mind that anyone who works hard enough can attain and master for some creative purpose. All of these various sources helped provide me with the right mindset and creative energy in order to come up with the ideas and thoughts about the â€Å"Garden for the Blind† I am about to describe. A continuing theme that one cannot avoid when considering developing anything geared specifically toward the blind is that all visual, sight-based elements are useless. However, this is not to say that the designer is greatly limited or handicapped. The wealth of possibilities that exist through taking advantage of all our other, non-exploited senses is endless.