Abstract

Guidance to Wellness is a specialised guide dog training centre for individuals with visual impairments. The proposed facility supports the full journey from guide dog breeding and early care to collaborative orientation training between guide dogs and their new handlers. The project addresses the lack of guide dog training facilities in South Africa despite the country’s high rates of visual impairment. The existing relationship between SAGDA and the University of Pretoria allow for the adaptive reuse of the Wildlife Hub building on UP’s Veterinary Onderstepoort Campus.

This proposal is informed by the research done in DIT 801. Spatial practice was studied through the main lens of Lefebvre’s Spatial Triad and the supporting themes of Salutogenesis and Space Syntax. These frameworks address the general issue of the gap between how spaces are designed (conceived space) versus how they are actually used (spatial practice) and connected with (lived space).

The motivation behind this intervention is to improve the overall well-being, independence and training experience of users with visual impairments by designing an inclusive guide dog training facility. The research identified that inclusive architectural considerations often start too late in the design process. It is seen as merely regulatory compliance and is usually an after-thought. The architectural response challenges this norm by designing inclusive and sensory architecture from the start.

The programme is tailored to three user needs: to learn (training and orientation), to live (residential and dining spaces) and to leisure (rest, recreational and social nodes). The users include visually impaired trainees, guide dogs, trainers, veterinary students, volunteers, and support staff.

The conceptual approach is a tethered compass. This shaped the three project goals of movement toward agency, well-being, and seeing differently. The spatial strategy responds to this through four key principles: progression, guidance connection and continuity. Guidance to Wellness ultimately aims to promote agency, dignity and independence through architectural design that is inclusive, sensory rich and grounded in lived experience

Keywords: Guide Dog Training, Spatial Practice, Visual Impairment, Sensory Design, Inclusive Design