The architect who lost his sight but gained a vision

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Chris Downey was always an intensely visual person - he was an architect working in California, a baseball coach and an avid cyclist. But at the age of 45 he went blind very suddenly after doctors discovered a tumour on his optic nerve. Chris used his creative skills to navigate the now unfamiliar world around him and as he adapted to his new normal he began to gain a new vision for designing spaces to suit a broader range of experiences. His firm is called Architects for the Blind. Freddy Mamani has changed El Alto, a city in the Bolivian Andes. He's an architect, possibly the most famous in the country. His extraordinarily bold, brightly-coloured buildings in geometric designs dominate the city. Some people say they look like flamboyant spaceships. But they're more than simply striking constructions. They're about his roots, and his desire to revitalise indigenous culture. Jane Chambers reports. This interview was first broadcast in May 2018. Toshiko Mori is a Japanese architect, founder of Toshiko Mori Architect and Professor at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She is the first woman to be tenured there. Growing up in Japan, she witnessed the country’s recovery after World War Two. She tells Kim Chakanetsa that she firmly believes that architecture can transform communities, and that crises are an opportunity to build better places. This interview was first broadcast as part of a discussion on The Conversation on 26th October 2020. Get in touch: [email protected] Picture: Chris Downey's hands reading an embossed architectural drawing Credit: Fogg Studio