Other

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

Migrated podcast image for: Outlook

Outlook

Factual: Life Stories

True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives.

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

Outlook: The architect who lost his sight but gained a vision

Magazines & Reviews

Chris Downey's hands reading an embossed architectural drawing

25/03/2021 GMT

The architect who lost his sight but gained a vision

BBC World Service - Outlook, The architect who lost his sight but gained a vision

Chris Downey went blind almost overnight, one month later he was back being an architect

Chris Downey went blind almost overnight, but a month later he was back at work as an architect.

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: outlook@bbc.com


Picture: Chris Downey's hands reading an embossed architectural drawing
Credit: Fogg Studio

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Outlook

The architect who lost his sight but gained a vision

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

About BBC World Service