Architects and designers tend to be preoccupied with the way a building looks. Jasmien Herssens, a researcher at the University of Leuven (KUL), now offers them a framework to create constructions that also feel good. During the development of her PhD, she relied on the judgement of people born blind, including children.

After working as an architect for three years, Herssens realised that architectural firms were neglecting a whole world of experiences by focusing only on visual aspects. “Architects think with their pen and paper, with which they compose designs that please the eye,” the 33-year-old says. “But unfortunately they often forget the four other senses.”

One of which is touch, which takes centre stage in her thesis, Designing Architecture for More. Herssens finished her PhD at the architecture faculty of the University of Hasselt, the Provincial University College Limburg and KUL, with a grant from the Flemish Agency for Innovation through Science and Technology.

When seeing is feeling

Inspired by a period of blindness during her own childhood, Herssens called on the expertise of people born blind, who depend greatly on their sense of touch. She let blind adults guide her around their houses and filmed their movements as they found their way.

Herssens observed children as well, which posed some challenges. “Children react very spontaneously, but the information they offer is often abstract,” she explains. One child put her on to the idea of giving everyone a camera, with which they took photos of the spaces they liked or disliked.

She also asked for the opinions of those who work with the blind, but they did not always correspond to the testimonies of the blind people themselves. “Many supporters thought that blind people always preferred spaces full of right angles because these provide them with a clear structure. But it turns out that this only applies to places where they come for the first time,” explains Herssens. “In a familiar environment, blind people actually appreciate rounded corners and certain irregularities. These give them a relaxed feeling of freedom, as long as they can rely on orientation points.”

Let buildings breathe

Apart from such geometric parameters, Herssens discovered how crucial building materials are. Wood, for example, is often preferred over stone by blind people because it is a warmer, naturally breathing material. “It feels more pleasant and thus creates a cosier atmosphere,” she says.

The texture of manufactured materials can also serve as a direction indicator for blind people. “Although it’s a useful material in many contexts, it’s a pity that a lot of buildings are constructed almost totally in neutral concrete without considering the effect on our feelings,” she declares.

These parameters do not only apply to the visually impaired, as was revealed by tests on people who can see. An autistic boy had the same need for clear structures as blind people do, while one person complained about a conference room closed off in glass where he felt he could not breathe comfortably after an hour. With air-permeable materials, this problem would not have occurred.

Herssens hopes her framework helps architects and designers to be aware that buildings are more pleasant and practical for everyone when all the senses receive equal attention from the start of the design process. She feels architecture schools need to instil this insight into the new generation. “I don’t want to impose standard rules, only to inspire an attitude of inclusive design, which young architects should acquire during their education,” she concludes.

In the meantime, she supervises Master’s students who are exploring design possibilities for other senses – for example, improving the acoustics of buildings.