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02/12/2024
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SacyrNewsThe blind architect who designs with tactile plans
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Chris Downey uses his fingers to interpret architectural plans. Credit: Architecture for the blind / TED
The blind architect who designs with tactile plans
After losing his sight following brain surgery in 2008, Chris Downey rediscovered architecture through touch, transforming the way he interacts with spaces. Here we examine how sensory perception can redefine architectural design.
In 2008, architect Chris Downey suddenly lost his sight following an operation. With more than 20 years' experience in his profession, he knew that he wanted to continue working in a field he was passionate about. He learned to read braille and began using an embossed printer to reproduce and interpret architectural plans. To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, we explore the story of this iconic American architect.
Downey's journey after losing his sight
In 2008, Downey was admitted to hospital for surgery to remove a brain tumour. "The surgery was successful. Two days later, my sight started to fail. On the third day, it was gone," heexplained in a TED talk in 2013. At first, a cocktail of emotions gripped the San Francisco architect: "Fear, confusion, vulnerability."
But when he stopped to think, he realised he had a lot to be thankful for. "I thought about my dad, who had passed away from complications from brain surgery. He was 36. I was seven at the time. So although I had every reason to be fearful of what was ahead, and had no clue quite what was going to happen, I was alive. My son still had his dad," Downey said.
The architect lost his sight at the age of 45 after undergoing surgery for a brain tumour. Credit: TED
Sounds, textures and smells that define cities
Downey never forgot that he was "not the first person ever to lose their sight." Worldwide, an estimated 2.2 billion people live with some form of visual impairment, according to the World Health Organisation. Of these, 43 million are blind. Downey left the hospital with a mission: to get the best training as quickly as possible and rebuild his life.
And he succeeded. "As an architect, that stark juxtaposition of my sighted and unsighted experience of the same places and the same cities within such a short period of time has given me all sorts of wonderful outsights into the nature of the city itself," he explained. Subtle sounds, textures in the ground felt through the grip of his cane, the warmth of the sun on one side of his face, the wind on his neck and his sense of smell became key tools for Downey to understand space and to move and orient himself. "I started to realise that my unsighted experience was far more multi-sensory than my sighted experience ever was," he said.
Downey uses touch to design accessible spaces. Credit: CGTN America
Reading a plan by touch
It took Downey just six months to return to work. He found an embossing printer, commonly used to teach braille to visually impaired children, and opened his own architecture firm. The embossing printer enabled him to reproduce plans in a format accessible to him, allowing him to study the details of the design and form a complete picture in his mind. In order to make his own contributions and revisions to the plans, he found a solution in Wikki Sticks, pliable wax sticks that can be broken and shaped to form new lines that adhere to paper, which allowed him to add and modify lines with ease.
As Downey explains, "reading a plan through touch is very different from looking at it visually, and in some ways more difficult: you don't see the whole immediately and then understand the details; you find the detail first and then have to build out to the whole." The architect had sight for 45 years, so he says he can still visualise the space. "It's just a matter of engaging in it intellectually as I, with my fingertips, review, study and move through it," he says.
In recent years, his work has focused on enriching the environment for the visually impaired. Among his most notable projects is the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco, California. He has also worked as a consultant for HOK on the Duke Eye Center at Duke University Hospital and has collaborated on projects with companies such as Microsoft. He also played a key role as a consultant in the design of the Vision and Rehabilitation Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
The LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco. Credit: Architecture for the Blind
In addition to his work as an architect, Downey serves on the California Commission on Disability Access and is a professor at the University of California at Berkeley. For him, architecture must go beyond the purely visual and embrace the tactile experience. He stresses that every detail—from the texture of walls to the design of handrails—shapes how we perceive and interact with the spaces we inhabit.
Tungsten is a journalistic laboratory that explores the essence of innovation.
SacyrNewsInRoad Evo, artificial intelligence at the service of road safety
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InRoad Evo, artificial intelligence at the service of road safety
Our award-winning technology industrialises the analysis of roadway conservation to anticipate potential deterioration and increase the safety and comfort of motorists.
19/11/2024
Understanding road-surface conditions is essential to performing proper maintenance that improves highway safety.
Sacyr InRoad is an innovative initiative from Sacyr Conservation based on artificial intelligence. This award-winning technology continuously assesses the main markers and indices that gauge roadway conservation.
With this project Sacyr Conservation won the AXA Award for Innovation and Development in Road Safety at the 14th annual “Ponle Freno” Awards, organised by Atresmedia.
Continuing the success of the prototype, Sacyr now unveils InRoad Evo. With help from the Plan to Support Sustainable and Digital Transport (Plan de Apoyo al Transporte Sostenible y Digital) to promote industrialisation processes, the project has been scaled up through the manufacture of 11 devices that include improvements to new inclination and temperature sensors to help optimise the algorithm and yield more precise results.
“The project features two technologies: one that analyses the road surface and another that assists in interpreting the results”, explains Alejandro Otero, Innovation Project Manager for Sacyr’s Innovation Division.
Sacyr InRoad measures the force exerted by vehicles, ground temperature, etc.
With regard to concession assets, it is essential to know the condition of the road surface in order to maintain a level of service and anticipate future deterioration, invariably with a focus on user safety.
To that end, Sacyr Conservation and Sacyr Concessions, together with the company’s Innovation areas, are currently collaborating to implement one of these devices on the Eresma highway (A-601 between Cuéllar and Segovia).
In addition, Sacyr Concessions will be able to feed the Prediction Tools, which will use the data collected by InRoad to predict how road surfaces behave in the long term, based on real data. The data obtained also helps the decision-making process when building new roads.
Cost savings and increased road safety
Regularly attending to minor road damage not only improves safety, but is up to 3x cheaper than waiting to carry out major repairs.
Sacyr InRoad was developed in conjunction with the Instituto Tecnológico de Castilla y León to boost service quality and fulfil Sacyr’s commitment to the environment and safety for both users and workers.
Through artificial intelligence and other innovative technologies, the use of InRoad helps prevent accidents and reduce CO₂ emissions.
According to a report by the Spanish Roadway Association (Asociación Española de la Carretera), a well-maintained system of roads could cut CO₂ emissions from lightweight and heavy vehicles by 9% and 6%, respectively. Moreover, flat surfaces with sufficient rolling capacity reduce fuel consumption by 3%-6%.
According to data from the Highway Safety Department of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (Fiscalía de Seguridad Vial del Ministerio Fiscal), 30% of traffic accidents occur as a result of poor road conditions.
This project is the successful consequence of the synergies derived from the various divisions that make up Sacyr, with the ultimate goal of circulating these devices worldwide to improve road conditions on an ongoing basis.
SacyrNewsSIS starts operation of the A-21/A-5 concession of 320km in highways in Italy
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SIS starts operation of the A-21/A-5 concession of 320km in highways in Italy
• SIS, comprising Fininc and Sacyr, manages since December the 1st five highway sections under a P3 scheme in the Turin area.
• These infrastructures, already operational, call for an investment close to €800 million, and will generate €2.9 billion in backlog over the 12 years of the concession term, with a total turnover of €3.7 billion.
02/12/2024
SIS consortium, comprising Fininc and Sacyr began operation yesterday, December 1st, of the Italian A21 Turin-Alexandria-Piacenza and A5 Turin-Ivrea-Quincinetto highways, the connecting highway A4/A5 Ivrea-Santhià and Turin’s Beltway Highways System (Sistema Autostradale Tangenziale Torinese, SATT) and the Turin-Pinerolo stretch. These roads, already in operation, add up to 320 km in total.
This contract, awarded by the Italian Ministry for Infrastructures and Transport, is expected to generate traffic revenues over €2.9 billion over the 12-year concession term. The concession includes the design and execution of the works to improve these highways, with a proyected investment of 800 million euros.
These road networks are considered strategic for connectivity in Northern Italy, as they connect Turin to other large cities in one of the country’s most industrialized areas.
Overall, these road infrastructures have an estimated average daily traffic of close to 33,000 vehicles.
Italy is a strategic home market for Sacyr. Through SIS, the group operates four P3 road projects: the Pedemontana-Veneta, the A3 Naples-Pompei-Salerno, the Via del Mare and the aforementioned A-21/A-5.
Additionally, last October they won the concession project for the Parco della Salute, della Ricerca e dell’Innovazione di Torino (Turin Park of Health, Research and Innovation), a multifunctional complex that will include a new hospital and a university campus.
Sacyr Concesiones is an industry benchmark in infrastructure development and is ranked 3rd in PWF’s World’s Largest Transportation Developers ranking.
The company currently manages an international and diversified project portfolio, valued at more than €3,550 million.
We have tested a material called CO2atings at one of our projects in Barcelona to analyze how it can help us reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
29/10/2024
Reducing greenhouse gases is a key pillar of our Climate Change Strategy, which is why we design initiatives that prevent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
As part of our strategy, we have collaborated with the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) and its spin-off, LightNet Carbon Capture, to utilize a material they have developed that captures atmospheric CO2.
This material, known as CO2atings®, is a coating mortar that has been tested at one of our building projects in Barcelona.
“To date, the material had only been tested in the laboratory, which is why we found it interesting to conduct a pilot test on temporary walls within a construction environment, though not part of the actual building,” explains Eugenia Riqué, Head of Quality, Environment, and Energy for Sacyr's Building Division in Catalonia.
CO2atings® was applied to four wall facings with different orientations (north, south, east, and west), and periodic samples were collected over a month to monitor performance.
“This area had higher humidity, and with the positive results from this initial series of tests, we aim to continue with further pilot tests and explore the potential for use in a unique project,” adds Eugenia.
Nature-inspired technology
This solution uses a highly efficient technology that fixates CO2 through an accelerated ex-situ mineralization process, bio-inspired by natural mineral formations such as dolomites and evaporites.
Additionally, through Sacyr Water, we have explored the potential to extract valuable materials from brine for use in producing this CO2-capturing mortar. This is currently under further analysis.
The advantages of using this mortar include the use of abundant raw materials, resistance to cracking, durability in rain and humidity, compatibility with common construction materials such as cement, concrete, and asphalt, and the fact that it does not require energy consumption.
The analysis of samples taken from the temporary facilities provided by Sacyr concluded that the material performed well on all four facades, with the highest CO2 capture observed on the north-facing facade (up to 40% by weight compared to 30% on the other orientations).
LightNet Carbon Capture, a joint venture of ICN2 and CSIC, focuses its efforts on researching materials and solutions for CO2 capture, storage, and utilization.
With a total investment of close to US$3 billion, we have consolidated our status as one of the leading companies in Colombia's infrastructure and P3 sectors.
We lead the infrastructure sector in Colombia
Sacyr set up as a Colombian company originating in Spain, with an investment of close to US$3 billion. We have been firmly committed to developing the country’s infrastructure, by working on more than ten P3 and engineering initiatives.
We have always prioritized the recruitment of local talent in the execution of more than 500 km of roads and civil engineering works, which have improved connectivity and economic development throughout Colombia.
In figures
+520
KILOMETERS
P3 road projects
+370
HECTARES
Protected or conserved habitats
3
US$ BILLION
Direct investment
50,000
PEOPLE
Benefited from our social action
We improve the quality of life of Colombian people
In 2012, we consolidated our position by embarking on our first road projects. We currently have more than ten projects across the country and are always on the lookout for new business opportunities. We also participate in the street cleaning of Bogotá.
Our presence in Colombia has created more than 13,000 jobs in our areas of influence, offering our employees the chance to improve their skills and grow professionally.
AUTOPISTA AL MAR 1
“To me, the new divided highway represents progress, moving toward a better future”
What does the new divided highway between the Western Tunnel and San Jerónimo (Colombia) mean for local residents?
We open 19 kilometers of Functional Unit 1 within the Autopista al Mar 1 project.
Sacyr en la COP 16 de Cali
Colombia es uno de los mercados domésticos de Sacyr, nuestro compromiso aquí contribuye al desarrollo de infraestructuras sostenibles y que impulsan el talento local.
En los últimos años hemos ejecutado más de 500 kilómetros de vías y obras civiles, que han permitido mejorar la conectividad y el desarrollo económico en todo el territorio colombiano.
Tenemos grandes proyectos por delante, como el Canal del Dique, que seguirán moldeando el futuro del país. Siempre con cuidado del aspecto medioambiental y con la promoción de la biodiversidad.
DEVIMAR
We deliver 35 homes in Sopetran
This donation from Devimar benefits 122 people of the black communities of Tafetanes and Guaymaral
We are proud to contribute to the communities and improve the living conditions of the inhabitants of our areas of operation.
UNIÓN VIAL RÍO PAMPLONITA
Women in the Pamplona-Cúcuta project (Colombia)
#TogetherWeDitchLabels
We have a strong commitment to our collaborators. Diversity and inclusion make us stronger and give us added value
‘Adriana, an example of personal and professional development for women at Sacyr’
Become acquainted with Adriana Rivera, the first female Operation and Maintenance General Manager at the Montes de María Road Concessionaire in Colombia.
Colombia es uno de los mercados domésticos de Sacyr, nuestro compromiso aquí contribuye al desarrollo de infraestructuras sostenibles y que impulsan el talento local.
En los últimos años hemos ejecutado más de 500 kilómetros de vías y obras civiles, que han permitido mejorar la conectividad y el desarrollo económico en todo el territorio colombiano.
Tenemos grandes proyectos por delante, como el Canal del Dique, que seguirán moldeando el futuro del país. Siempre con cuidado del aspecto medioambiental y con la promoción de la biodiversidad.
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