Public defence doctoral thesis: Iris Beuls
Iris Beuls has the pleasure to invite you to the defence of her doctoral thesis: "BEYOND THE WALLS - Designing human-centred palliative environments through architectural-rich users’ experiences"
Prior to the defence, you are invited to the seminar: "Designing human-centred palliative environments"
Dit event is reeds afgelopen
Wednesday December 18th 2024 | 13h00 - 15h00 | Refugiehuis:
Meet The Jury Seminar: "Designing human-centred palliative environments"
- Let’s talk about death, dying and bereavement: from compassionate schools to compassionate architecture
Prof. Dr. Liesbeth De Donder (VUB, Agogische Wetenschappen and Director of Society and Ageing Research Lab)
This lecture examines the role of public health approaches to death, dying, and bereavement, with a focus on interdisciplinary applications. It explores frameworks ranging from compassionate schools to architectural designs that facilitate mourning and healing. By integrating perspectives from education, sociology, and health, the session argues that as a community we can and should do more to normalise death and dying. - Concerning co-production: learning from hidden voices for the design of palliative care environments'
Dr. Annie Bellamy (University of the West of England, Department of Architecture and the Built Environment, Bristol)
The talk will explore the concept of co-production between architectural and healthcare professionals in a unique palliative care setting in the United Kingdom used as the case study for my doctoral research. In particular, there will be a focus on the methods and challenges of uncovering the expected - but more importantly - unexpected voices of staff expertise. - Design for End of Life Literacy
Dr. Marieke Sonneveld (TUDelft, Faculty of Industrial Design)
What do designers need to design for End of life literacy? How do we address these needs in design education and in design practice? In this lecture, Marieke Sonneveld tries to answer these questions.
Liesbeth De Donder, Annie Bellamy, Marieke Sonneveld
Wednesday December 18th 2024 | 16h00 - 18h00 | Refugiehuis:
Public defence of doctoral thesis Iris Beuls: "BEYOND THE WALLS - Designing human-centred palliative environments through architectural-rich users’ experiences"
“This is the best place where I, apart from home itself, of course, have been in the last few years while I’ve been sick. That’s for sure. I feel quite good here, as far as possible. And that’s due to all these factors, a pleasant aesthetic environment, the nature surrounding me, the people who are always there for me. Altogether, it makes this place, let’s say, pleasant enough for me to find meaning in my day. Because for me, everything has sailed away, everything, that’s something you can’t explain to anyone.”
These words from a hospice resident underscore the vital role that a well-designed, human-centred palliative environment plays in enriching the lives of residents, families, healthcare professionals, and volunteers involved in palliative care. Human-centred design challenges architects, working with clients, to actively question assumptions and develop an empathic understanding of users’ spatial experiences to inspire innovative design solutions. This approach involves ‘looking through users’ eyes and putting themselves in their shoes’ while engaging in ‘introspection’ to connect with their own values and feelings, fostering a deeper understanding of palliative care users' diverse and evolving needs.
Since palliative environments are unique places where architects may lack personal experience, integrating academic insights into design is essential. However, a significant gap between practice and research often hinders this integration. Ultimately, this PhD aimed to go beyond the walls to bridge that gap by introducing ‘architectural-rich users’ experiences’ and seven ‘empathic design methods’. These contributions equip architects with insights and tools to enhance their empathic understanding and facilitate the co-creation of palliative environments in order to more effectively address the spatial needs and experiences of individuals in their final stage of life and those who care for them.
About the jury
- Promotor: Prof. dr. Ann Petermans, Faculty of Architecture and Arts, Hasselt University, Belgium
- Co-promotor: Prof. dr. Jan Vanrie, Faculty of Architecture and Arts, Hasselt University, Belgium
- Committee member: Arch. Peggy Winkels, Faculty of Architecture and Arts, Hasselt University, Belgium
- Committee member: Prof. dr. Liesbeth De Donder, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, VUB, Belgium
- External jury member: Dr. ir. Marieke Sonneveld, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, TU Delft, The Netherlands
- External jury member: Dr. arch. Annie Bellamy, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, UWE Bristol, UK
Date and location:
- Wednesday December 18th 2024
- 13h00 - 15h00: Seminar
- 16h00 - 18h00: defence Iris Beuls
- 18h00 - 19h30: Reception
- Refugiehuis, Maastrichterstraat 100, 3500 Hasselt
Registration
You can register for this seminar and/or the PhD defence of Iris Beuls via this Google Form.
Please fill in this form before December 14th 2024.
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