EDMONTON — A high-rise building tailored for the visually impaired has been unanimously approved by Edmonton city council.
The 35-storey tower will replace the current office of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind in a central Edmonton neighbourhood.
Chris Downey, a visually impaired architect from San Francisco, assisted with the design of the tower.
He helped with the braille exterior, coloured glass and textured walkways to help people find the entrance.
Inside the building, signage, hallways and elevators will all be designed with the visually impaired in mind.
The apartments in the building will be available to everyone but five per cent of them will be set aside for CNIB clients in need of affordable housing.
“There’s high unemployment rates if you’re visually impaired,” said John Mulka, executive director of the CNIB. “So it’s a great opportunity for our clients to access something that we might take for granted.”
