Tactile and audible vibrations act as the wayfinding system within the seeing-eye dog training facility and park. The flooring on the main circulation path is constructed with metal bars so that occupants can feel the vibrations of people walking past. The main hallways of the facility are lined with an audible railing system. Behind the railings, wire is strung like a guitar across chambers in the wall which people can strum as they walk. Different tones designate the different programs of the building. The staircases are suspended with wire and use the same system of sound designation to identify which floor a person is on. On the exterior, a path starting at the corner of Bank and Clemow cuts through the building and extends into the park. Wire wraps around the exterior of the buildings and is anchored at the edge of this path, creating a tactile and audible wall that guides the public. This wall system is reproduced on a smaller scale at the entrances to the park, creating audible cues for orienting oneself within the landscape. The facility’s windows are extruded to tension the wires which encapsulate the building creating ‘frets’ to produce variations in the sounds emitted. Similarly to the interior of the building, these different tones help designate the program on the interior of the building. Adding this difference of tone to the exterior of the building allows this non-visual cue of program to be heard from the park and street, creating an audible beacon within Ottawa’s Glebe neighbourhood.

Location: Ottawa, Canada

Client: Carleton University MArch Studio

Program: Seeing-Eye Dog Training Facility

Date: 2018

Credits: Shannon Kitley, Justin Lewis, Jason Vandenburg