Architecture Criticism Blindfolded

Abstract

The paper reports on a recent Belgian initiative targeting architectural practice through the professional press. Architecture critics were invited to revisit an exemplary public building while being blindfolded and guided by persons who are visually impaired. Afterwards, they were asked to report on this visit in an article for an architectural magazine. The initiative aimed at drawing the attention of the critics—and, by extension, the readers of their articles—to the need for accessibility, usability and comfort for the real diversity of users, but also to architecture’s potential multisensory richness.