Top Projects of 2018: Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf / Wilkins Hall.

Byline: Dan Emerson

The Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault is an unusual facility, since it serves both students who are deaf or hearing-impaired, as well as students with low vision (the facility is shared with the Minnesota School for the Blind).

Kodet Architectur al Group worked with Minnesota State Academies to design Wilkins Hall, a new student dormitory for the Academy. Housing 60 students, ages 6 to 18, the new dormitory was named in honor of Blanche Wilkins Williams, the first deaf black woman to graduate from the Minnesota School for the Deaf (Class of 1893), and an influential teacher, missionary and advocate.

Designing a building to serve the needs of both blind and deaf students was one of the major challenges for architects, said Ed Kodet, founder and board member of Kodet Architectural Group. During the planning process, ASL interpreters were used to gather valuable input from staff, students and other stakeholders.

The resulting guidelines include acoustic considerations such as ambient, mechanical, and material noise as well as lighting. Designing the spaces to include diff used natural light, minimizing corners and niches, and using simple texture and color variations helped improve visibility between spaces. Reducing glare was also important, to help those with limited sight communicate and see better.

The new facility...