Industries Of The Blind Site Study

The industries of the blind was not what i was expecting. I was expecting it to be a normal factory where people worked mechanically all day and came back the next day to repeat the task. Instead the president of the corporation running it like a sweat shop he knew each employee and respected them and their work.

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I had never actually noticed the IOB building before but when i was walking toward it i realized why. The street side of the building is plain white and looks like all the other building on lee street which are fairly boring and lifeless. The actual entrance to the building is placed on the side to view from the parking lot. The entrance side was brick and had plants and a flag pole which are pretty normal for an exterior of a building. When i learned what the IOB was i began to wonder why i had never heard of it or the amazing things they do there. To enter the building you have to walk around the plants to a ramp that leads you into the lobby space. The plain white walls of the reception area and the standard reception desk makes the entrance boring and contradicting with what the IOB is all about. As you walked toward the steps there is a small meditation area with a fountain that shows the factory is not like all the others. When you walk upstairs you approach the office area where there is a conference room and the managements personal offices where there is a open door policy that shows because of all the chatter and conversations going on in the office. Past the offices are the factory spaces that are specialized to make the work process easier for the seeing impaired workers.  Overall the entrance spaces are closed off and uninviting and the IOB deserves a space that tells their story and spreads the wood to the community of the great things they are accomplishing.

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Right now the IOB is a locked book  and their story need to be told

{factors that impact use + perception}
occasions-factory, meetings, casual conversations
players- employees, visitors, clients
resources-offices, presentation/conference area, gift shop, meditation area
surroundings- staircase, offices, conference room, bathrooms, reception area, windows, light artificial and natural, shadows, sounds