On the occasion of the honorary doctorate for Karen Braitmayer, KU Leuven and PAF (platform voor architectuur & feminisme) host an evening on Wednesday 4 February on the systemic underrepresentation of people whose bodies or minds diverge from the assumed norm in architecture and design.
This includes not only people with disabilities, but also people with progressive or chronic health conditions, neurodivergent people, and others whose ways of moving, sensing, thinking or being present affect how they can study, work, design and participate in the field.
Together, we examine how architectural practice and education are organised, which obstacles people with disabilities encounter, and – crucially – what knowledge, insight and quality are lost when these perspectives are absent. We ask how implicit norms and mechanisms of exclusion shape access to architectural education and practice, what is missing in design, education and work culture as a result, and what shifts when a wider range of bodies and ways of perceiving are taken into account.
Through a keynote by Karen Braitmayer (Accessibility as an act of Empowerment), a thoughtful panel of architects, researchers and students with lived experience, and small-group discussions, we explore what becomes possible when other ways of perceiving, moving, sensing and thinking enter the centre of architectural practice and education.
Joining the conversation are Karen Braitmayer (a leading expert in inclusive architecture and founder of Studio Pacifica, drawing on both professional expertise and her own experience of navigating the built environment as a wheelchair user with hearing support), Séverine Kas (accessibility consultant with a background in architecture, whose work is informed by her experience of progressive visual and hearing impairment), Natalia Pérez Liebergesell (architectural researcher whose work on disability and design is grounded in her own experience as a wheelchair user), Victor Lindemeier (master’s student in architecture at the University of Antwerp, bringing the perspective of a neurodivergent student within architectural education), Wendy Hoeven (co-founder of Inclure Architecten, whose inclusive practice is shaped by her experience of reduced mobility, family life and close proximity to wheelchair use), Julien Benaouda (software engineer, blind lived-experience expert on the Leuven Accessibility Advisory Council, and member of ICC Belgium, actively advising city services, designers and architecture students on inclusive design) and Stijn Cools (founding partner aNNo architecten and professor at KU Leuven, contributing a perspective from architectural practice and education).
Every year, KU Leuven awards honorary doctorates to inspiring personalities whose work has a significant impact on science, society and culture. With this honor, the university shows its appreciation for innovative thinkers and pioneers who reach beyond academia.
This year, Karen Braitmayer, renowned American architect and advocate of inclusive architecture, is one of the winners. Her nomination was a joint initiative of two professors from KU Leuven’s Department of Architecture: Prof. Fredie Floré, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, and Prof. Ann Heylighen, affiliated with the Faculty of Engineering Science and Vice-chair of the department.
Karen Braitmayer (b. 1958) is considered a leading expert in inclusive architecture. Its mission: to create a built environment in which everyone feels welcome - regardless of physical limitations, mobility or sensory needs. In 1993, she founded the consultancy Studio Pacifica. With her personal experience (she uses a wheelchair and hearing support) and her deep professional expertise, she combines empathy with technical know-how. That makes her efforts particularly powerful and relevant.
Read more about the honorary doctorate.
Speakers
Julien Benaouda
graduated in computer sciences, has worked as a software engineer at DataCamp, an online interactive learning platform for data sciences and AI. While being near-totally blind and driven by the belief that visual impairment should never be a barrier to full societal participation, Julien dedicates much of his free time to volunteering and acting as an expert in different organisations and initiatives. As a member of ICC Belgium, he helps empower visually impaired youngsters during their studies and first steps on the labor market. He serves as an expert in the accessibility council of Leuven, where he advises the city services, designers … on creating a more inclusive urban environment. He regularly acts as an expert for the department of architecture at the KU Leuven, helping to make future designers aware of the importance of inclusive design.
Séverine Kas
worked with great passion for ten years as an architect, focusing on projects in healthcare, education, and residential housing. At the age of 23, she was diagnosed with the progressive Usher syndrome, which gradually impaired her vision and hearing. While it was difficult to let go of her career as an architect, her curiosity led her to Bartiméus, where she gained a deeper understanding of the organisation and the world of visual and auditory accessibility.
Séverine has worked for the past ten years as an accessibility consultant at Stichting Accessibility (Bartiméus). She contributes to the national guideline NEN 9120, lectures students, trains professionals in the building sector, and participates in an international collaboration dedicated to advancing research and practice in multisensory design for the built environment.
Natalia Pérez Liebergesell
is a voluntary research associate at the KU Leuven with a background in architecture (ETSAV-UPC, Spain, 2013). After graduating, she edited and co-authored the hand-made book Four Wheelchair-User Architects, featuring her and her three peers’ final thesis projects. Since 2016, she has been part of the Research[x]Design group, where during her PhD (KU Leuven, Belgium, 2020) she investigated intersections between disability (experience) and (architectural) design. Currently, she focuses on exploring ways to improve inclusive designing by looking at shared similarities, instead of at differences, between a diverse population.
Wendy Hoeven
is an architect and co-founder of Inclure Architecten. Driven by a strong interest in human-centred design, she consciously chose Inclusive Design during her studies. After gaining experience in residential housing, public buildings, offices, and apartment projects, the importance of inclusive building also became a personal reality following a work-related accident.
Wendy is not only an architect, but also a woman with reduced mobility, the mother of two young children, and the partner of a wheelchair user. For her, inclusion isn’t a choice or a specialisation, it’s essential for full participation in society. With passion, she helps people turn their specific needs into accessible, sustainable, and high-quality homes, while advocating for inclusive design to become standard practice in architecture rather than a niche.
Victor Lindemeier
is a student in the final year of his master’s degree in architecture at the University of Antwerp. He has an interest in honest and inclusive architecture in the broad sense. During this talk, he will represent the viewpoint of a neurodivergent student in architecture education, drawing from his own insights as a person on the autism spectrum.
Stijn Cools
is a founding partner of aNNo architecten and a professor at KU Leuven. He has gained experience working with the Leuven Accessibility Advisory Council, including on the redesign of Leuven City Hall.
04.02.2026
19:00 - 21:15u
Leercentrum AGORA
- Zaal Couvreur
Edward Van Evenstraat 4
3000 Leuven
18:30 – 19:00 Arrival with coffee and tea
19:00 – 19:45 Introduction & keynote Karen Braitmayer
19:45 – 20:30 Conversation with speakers in the front row
20:30 – 21:00 Small group conversations
21:00 – 21:15 Reflections and closing
21:15 Aftertalk and drinks
The campus can be accessed via Edward Van Evenstraat, Andreas Vesaliusstraat, and Parkstraat, with entry from Edward Van Evenstraat through barriers.
The evening will take place at Zaal Couvreur, which is wheelchair accessible.The entrance is on the right side of the building's main entrance. All information about the entrance can be found here. Accessible restrooms can be found on the first floor, accessible with the elevator.
Visitors with reduced mobility can park in the designated accessible space opposite the Agora Learning Center under the Herman Servotte residence, with barrier access. Maps are available online to reach the various faculties and services from the visitor parking. Find more information here.
The event will be held in English, but you are welcome to join the conversation in Dutch, French, or any language you feel most comfortable with. We will do our best to offer ad hoc whisper translations if needed.
There will be a sign language interpreter at this event.
An audio recording, transcript, and an edited article of the conversation will be made available afterward for those unable to attend or fully participate.
If you have specific accessibility needs or requests, please let us know. We would be glad to discuss how we can support your participation. You can reach us at mail@paf.community.
This evening is organized with the support of KU Leuven’s Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering Science, Department of Architecture, and Research[x]Design group.
