Toronto Star

As Toronto architect Bruce Stratton recently discovered, sometimes what you see is not what you get. Stratton, who designed the W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind in Brantford, had to create an environment in which visually impaired students could learn and flourish. The $9.9-million facility includes eight classrooms for 50 pupils up to Grade 5, as well as a small infirmary, a residence for eight and offices for teachers and administrators. It was constructed to replace an aging structure that was no longer usable. Stratton's mandate was to create a building that would allow pupils to navigate using touch and sound. To that end, the inner walls are lined with what he calls a "trail rail," a wide railing of plastic that extends along hallways from room to room. More subtly, Stratton also used different types of flooring — some hard and sound-reflective, others soft and absorbent — so students can hear the difference when they move from one interior space to another.