On Saturday, February 10th, Students of Prof Gipe-Lazarou’s second-year architecture studio and Prof. Luis Borunda Monsivais’ graduate studio visited the Burkeville Lodge for the Blind in Burkeville, VA, to present their design proposals for a nature observatory on the property’s lakeshore. The students presented their work to sighted and vision-impaired members and guests using tactile drawings, 3D-printed building details, and scale models.

Opened in 1960 by the Virginia Association of Workers for the Blind, the Lodge is a historic vacation spot for the visually-impaired which features accessible accommodations, covered walkways, a gazebo and flower gardens, outdoor swimming pool, and hiking paths bordered by a steel guide rail.