Designerly Ways of Not Knowing: What Designers Can Learn about Space from People Who are Blind

Abstract

This paper sets out to demonstrate that architects' and other designers' visual ways of knowing may come with a considerable risk. They risk favouring visual qualities over non-visual qualities, but also cognition over embodiment in how space is understood and conceived. Their designerly ways of knowing thus may as well be viewed as designerly ways of not knowing—of disregarding the bodily experience of the built environment. This disregard becomes especially clear when considering the spatial experience of persons who are blind, as they are able to appreciate sounds, smells or haptic qualities designers may not be attuned to. Although the paper focuses on design in architecture, it points out that the underlying rationale may be relevant for other design domains as well, including urban design.

Acknowledgements

The authors especially thank Suzanne for sharing her time and insights, and Kristof Briers for his help during the building visit.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the European Research Council under the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007—2013) [ERC grant agreement n ˚ 201673], and by the Agency for the Promotion of Innovation through Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT Vlaanderen) [PhD grant].