OKEHAMPTON-based architect Nils Westman has won a top design award for a residential centre in Somerset for visually impaired adults.
Mr Westman won the award for the SeeAbility Resource and Residential Centre in Wellington, Somerset, which was specially designed for visually impaired users.
Taunton Deane Borough Council acknowledged the 'Inspiring Design' of the new SeeAbility building by awarding Mr Westman, his clients SeeAbility and the main contractor C S Williams (Taunton) Ltd with certificates and plaques at the biannual design award presentation held in their council chamber last week.
Mr Westman said he was proud of the scheme, which 'breaks new ground in several respects', particularly in the use of daylight and ventilation throughout the building, using a continuous central rooflight system.
Mr Westman said this also made ecological sense, as the building was economic to heat, light, and ventilate, due to the high insulation levels inherent in the timber frame system used and the levels of natural light and ventilation that can be achieved without resorting to artificial means.
Mr Westman's design also created a private courtyard garden, which has been designed to aid the visually impaired users to orientate themselves and to find the entrances through the scents from plants and strong visual features such as the entrance canopies and paving.
Internally the building is particularly bright, airy and colourful, to aid orientation and to allow the users to use the sight they have.