3D Printing technology for buildings' accessibility: the tactile map for the MTE Museum in Pavia

3D printing technology is an innovative manufacturing technology used in several disciplines, whose number and diversity are growing day by day. The development of devices to improve the accessibility of buildings and urban spaces for people with disabilities through 3D printing technology is still not broadly explored. The present study is focused on filling this gap, with the realization of a tactile map of the MTE (Museum of Electrical Technology) of the University of Pavia (Italy) for blind and visually impaired people. The tactile map represents the building plan with all the information to guide the visit. The device is the result of a research process which is made by several steps and experimental tests, aimed at setting the best 3D printing profiles to meet all the requirements of the end-users. This paper describes methods and strategies applied to reach these goals: it underlines the social and technical approaches, the experimental phases and its possible future developments.