Grand Prix Design: Sightwalks (PERU)
Paving the Way for Inclusion: Cemento Sol's Sightwalks Project Lights Up the Path for the Blind
While not a medical company, the Peruvian cement brand Sol is making a significant impact on public health with their innovative “Sightwalks” project.
It has developed Sightwalks, a series of cement tiles with numbered lines to help the visually impaired identify the types of businesses or establishments they are passing by.
The number of lines can tell them if the shop next to them is a bank, grocery store, accommodation, hospital, bus stop, pharmacy and more as they count them from left to right using their walking sticks.
Over nearly two years, the project underwent continuous iterations to ensure its effectiveness. A collaborative, multidisciplinary effort involving industrial designers, engineers, and leading associations for the visually impaired in Peru resulted in a tactile tile system.
What sets this project apart is its open-source nature; Sol Cement has made the tiles a copyright-free invention, encouraging global adoption by cities, organizations, or individuals to improve urban accessibility for the visually impaired.