Aurelie De SmetTutoring of a Service-Learning Design Studio at the KU Leuven Faculty of Architecture, exploring the topic of in-/exclusion of (vulnerable) people in architecture; whereby architecture was seen both as a process and as a physical environment and vulnerability as a multifaceted human condition – visible or invisible – that any of us may encounter.
The studio involved collaboration with actors and stakeholders from the real-life project ‘Reflective Cartography, mapping female perspectives in architecture in Flanders’ by Women* in Architecture Belgium (W*iAB).
The studio lead to a variety of projects, some of which are dealing with the issue of mapping and documenting, others that are considering methods and tools to reflect about architecture, many that are also dealing with female perspectives (and how these have often been ignored in our sector, in the past and up until today), some that are taking a closer look at the issue of in/exclusion, a few that also addressed the topic of vulnerable users, and finally a lot that are also investigating what architecture is (either or both as a process and as a physical environment).
TOPICS: critical spatial practice, design justice, participatory action research, agency of design/design as politics
KEY QUESTIONS: What to read? Who to speak to? How to listen? How to record/ map? … to get a better understanding of what architecture is and how it can exclude (vulnerable) people. How are specific projects/ practices/processes (reimagining architecture as an inclusive practice? How to visualise and communicate our findings and invite others to join the conversation? How can each of us bring in our own interests, skills, and expertise to address these questions?
METHODOLOGIES: Lectures & study visits, Literature & case studies, Individual reflections, Group brainstorming, reflections & discussions, Participatory fieldwork, Community-engaged research & design
Type of project:
community-engaged architectural design learning
Location:
Ghent
Date:
2025-2026 (first semester)
Project partner:
W*iAB (Women in Architecture Belgium)
Role:
service-learning tutor
Ayshwarya Madhu
Selenay Cakmak
Raf Dierick & Jamie-Lee De Groof
Emmanuelle Huyghe
