present:

workshop

designing in the dark

gent 27.10–10.11.’05

g e n t

g e n tS

int-V

eerleplein

Design museum

korenmar

kt

vleeshuis

Sint-

Veerleplein

Design museum

korenmar

kt

vleeshuisg e n t

v l e e s h u i s

v l e e s h u i s

…waiting

The wheelchair ramp has an easy to use angle but is

constructed with steel grill plates which cause a problem

for people with visual impairments who use a white

cane.

The red carpet offers sufficient grip on the steel plates, and offers a good visual contrast

with the environment.

Our proposal is to extend the red carpet over the entire

section of te ramp.

The bathroom which is located on the ground

floor has good accessibility but lacks a

decent sign.

The size and ease of use for wheelchair users is

questionable.

Clear visual contrast strips are missing indoor

aswell as on the door itself.

The glass emergency exit door has no decent visual sign which makes it hard to find.

A clear visual contrast strip should be applied

The glass doors have no decent visual sign which make them hard to see.

A clear visual contrast strip should be applied

The double doors make wheelchair acces easily

possible, but the left door is caught in between 2

cuboards which makes it impossible to open.

The spatial simulated path trough the chairs and tables is massively obstructed by the gas heaters.

Exterior improvements

Scale model pictures

Scale model pictures

Scale model pictures

…done

K o r e n m a r k t

K o r e n m a r k t

D e s i g n m u s e u m

D e s i g n m u s e u m

Designmuseum

DesignmuseumStreets

DesignmuseumStreetsWater

DesignmuseumStreetsWaterPark

Bad Idea

Good Solution

In the Field

It’s pretty dangerous to just hang a rope in front of the stairs. People with visual impairments can’t feel the rope because their stick goes under it.

Same thing here, again an object that stays unnoticed to the stick. People with visual impairments can bump their heads against it.

The information that can be seen throughout the whole museum is carried by really thin supports. So People with visual impairments might miss it and bump onto it.

This is an example of an information board. This one is standing in front of a room where you can see all different kinds of furniture and where can’t enter. It would be a good solution if this board had some relief. In that way the people with visual impairments can feel where every piece of furniture is placed. So they would have an idea of what the room looks like.

We think the glass and the wooden floor is a good solution of using a difference in material so that people with visual impairments can ‘feel’ the space and walk trough it without any help.

Again you can see a good example of using different materials on the floor. In the older part of the museum the carpet is a good guideline on which people with visual impairments can find their way trough. (Although they could bump onto some bad placed chairs or cupboards) the carpet path ends where the new building starts…

This is a good example of a showcase that is built up like a solid block. People with visual impairments can feel the solid structure with the help of their stick and it’s nearly impossible that they bump onto these showcases.

S i n t - v e e r l e p l e i n

S i n t - v e e r l e p l e i n

Design in the dark enter the fishing mine

The old fishing mine is situated in the heart of the historical Ghent. It was build in …., right on the spot where the Leie and Lieve come together and at the same time next to ‘Het Gravensteen’, Ghent’s most visited monument. This gives the old fishing mine a strategic position in the Ghent cityscape: a position which should be exploited more…

CONTEXT

ENTRANCE AT SINT-VEERLEPLEIN

The historical entrance of the fishing mine dates back to 1690 and is a true piece of baroque craftmanship. As new functions are being developed in the old mine, the old entrance should remain and people should be guided towards it, all people of course.

H2O

H2O

N

ENTRANCE AT SINT-VEERLEPLEIN

The old entranceNeptune, god of the sea

EXPLORING THE MAP

the basethe built environmentHet Gravensteen and the fishing marketthe connection / the crossingthe streets with pedestrian crossingpedestrian zonethe guidelinesthe tram / the stopsgrassterraces / lanterns / obstruction poles /

benches / street furniture

lanterns

bench

street furniture

little poles

terraces

facades

gutter

obstacles

curve

furniture

zebra

the green, the Lijn and the stone

square

MATERIALS ON SITE

MATERIALS ON SITE

‘Het Sint-Veerleplein’ has to coop with an absence of contrast. The pavements are similar: street, gutter, square. A difference in colour could make it non-blind, visually impaired people easier to find their way around the site.The only contrasting colours which are to be found, are those in the facades and the street furniture. The latter, helas, are more of a hinder, than a guide.

TERRAIN ANALYSIS

The guidelines are badly positioned or not really guidelines.-obstacle at end of guideline (parking machine)

-passage in between objects to narrow-guideline is sewer drainage, leading towards a dangerously small, yet deadly metal hook sticking out from it

H2O

H2O

TERRAIN ANALYSIS

Where the pavement is on street level or where there’s a crossing, there should be tactile tiles that warn visually impaired people of the danger ahead. The crossing towards the entrance of ‘het Gravensteen’ has, but no guideline guides the people towards it.

H2O

H2O

TERRAIN ANALYSIS

The little obstruction poles. First of all, there is a lot of them, which is not necessary. If used, they should have a good height so they cannot be missed by the visually impaired pedestrian’s stick or dog (but for other reasons).

H2O

H2O

TERRAIN ANALYSIS

Because visually impaired people cannot drive a car, they are counting on public transport. The timetable of the trams passing through the area is not ok. The letters are too small, so they just walk on by.

H2O

H2O

TERRAIN ANALYSIS

If something is broken, they should fix it! People might hurt themselves, and they do…

H2O

H2O

TERRAIN ANALYSIS

Lots of obstacles make it visually impaired people very difficult to cross the square if they look up the perimeter. If not used, these elements should be removed.

H2O

H2O

TERRAIN ANALYSIS

Even for not visually impaired people this square is a dangerous place to stroll…

H2O

H2O

THE NEW DESIGN

The sketches

H2O

H2O

EXPLORING THE MAP

the main lines

The two most important connections:The Gravesteen and the old fish market, which has a new project as a museumThe two opposite points in south east and north west which lead to the streets ‘kleine vismarkt’ and ‘rekeling straat’

The square provides the most important connections and helps people with impairments to

understand them.

EXPLORING THE MAP

the benches

Revitalize the square so that visually impaired people can cross it easier and that everyone enjoys the new configuration.

The connections are combined with benches for people to sit and enjoy the place, especially around the statue where the bench almost touches it.

EXPLORING THE MAP

the benches / materials

concrete benches

wooden benches

The benches are made of different materials, one specific material for one specific route. The first connection (and the most important one) has two benches of concrete with a smooth light beneath them, so it is visible at night. The other connection has benches of dark wood (longitudinal latches).

EXPLORING THE MAP

the streets and altered crossings

rubber marks

The proposal organizes all the elements necessary in the place:The crossing has been changed so that the route between the museums is more fluid.

EXPLORING THE MAP

the pedestrian zone

The proposal avoids obstacles and organizes all the elements necessary in the place:The sidewalk is higher than the street;

Two important lines create a tension and are explicit guidelines for visually impaired people. The proposal emphasizes the center of the square, so people do not longer have to walk along the (dangerous) edge

of the square.

EXPLORING THE MAP

the grass

The sidewalk at ‘het Gravensteen’ is enlarged by pulling up the level of the grass and the sculpture. People can park their bikes and enjoy the space as a playground (children). In this space there is also a bench for people who are waiting for the tram;

EXPLORING THE MAP

the lanterns

The lanterns are placed rhythmically around the square. Others next to the benches;

EXPLORING THE MAP

the light map

Lights on site: museums, principal benches (lit from underneath), the statue, the lanterns, the sculpture;

EXPLORING THE MAP

the little poles

Higher and well distributed poles;

EXPLORING THE MAP

the tram stop and pavement

information

wooden platforms

The entrance of the museums is marked by a simple rectangular mark of different material. Wooden platforms have been integrated in the pavement where the tram stops.

Image 3D

THE MODEL

model photos / old situation

THE MODEL

model photos / old situation

THE MODEL

model photos / new proposal

THE MODEL

model photos / new proposal

THE MODEL

s i m u l a t i o n sv i s u a l

s i m u l a t i o n sv i s u a l

a c c e s s i b i l i t y e x p e r t s

glasses simulating visual imparement

glasses simulating visual imparement

glasses simulating visual imparement

glasses simulating visual imparement

glasses simulating visual imparement

a c c e s s i b i l i t y e x p e r t s

a c c e s s i b i l i t y e x p e r t s

BlindVANDEN ABEELE MoniqueCAULIER HermanVIAENE Harry HERMIE NoëlSWINNEN DoretheVD PONTSEELE Jeannine

Limited sightCOCQUYT RosekeMEERT GeertVERGUCHT PaulVAN LOO SabineDE TEMMERMAN MartineVAN EENOOGHE DannyHULDENTOP Gerry/ Dog

International students

MC QUINN MichaelCORCORAN MadeleineHRUSOVSKY MiroslavTREMBOVA LindaCAMARERO ETXEBARRIA EiderKUNCEWICZ AleksandraLOPEZ DE SUSO MARINA BeatrizMARIN ULERA PatriciaPAWLOWSKI KarolDRDLOVA HanaGEELAN OrlaJANDOVA JanaAKSIUCIK EmiliaSUCHOCKI RadoslawTOME JordanaGUZIK Agata

KIMPEN DorienRABAEY LieselotROGIERS LienWILLEMYNS KoenDESENDER DimitriALTRUY SharonBRANSWIJCK DoraCAMPS MattiasDE BACKER PieterDECABOTER ElkeDE GEEST WouterHENDRICKX JefVAN DURME Lies

3 Bachelor Interior Design

Coordinationdr. Marc Dujardin – Tomas Ooms - Jao Smet - Karin Samson

p a r t i c i p a n t s1 Master ArchitectureSENEPART RomboutREID CliffVERMEULEN AnneDE VLIEGER AnsDE SWAEF LotteSEDEYN Pieter-JanLUYENS MathieuVERBRUGGHE Steven

Coordination

Dr. DUJARDIN MarcOOMS TomasSMET JaoSAMSON Karin