Architects tend to design following their own values and concerns. As such, designing for imaginary users, especially disabled ones, may pose major challenges. Drawing on aspects of focused ethnography, we show how the architect Stéphane Beel’s anticipation of using a wheelchair in the future due to a progressive-regressive disease influences his willingness and ability to empathise with, and design for, wheelchair users. We study a museum building in Belgium that he, as part of a larger design team, helped to restore, renovate, and expand, paying special attention to (wheelchair) accessibility. We rely on interviews, observations, design documents, and two tours guided by Stéphane. Our findings suggest that Stéphane’s ability to empathise with users benefits from his flexible use of his embodied self, and his moving between positions in various design stages. Foregrounding bodily resonances with wheelchair users seems to facilitate incorporating the other as self and reaching affect. At the same time, thinking of the self as other promotes looking at designs through someone else’s eyes. Empathy brought Stéphane to design inclusive environments, not because he has embodied knowledge derived from his use of a wheelchair or his technical knowledge as an architect, but because he feels affected by his own future possibility. Set against indifference, this affect triggers a powerful response in his architecture.

中文翻译：

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为未来的自己而设计：建筑师 Stéphane Beel 如何同情轮椅使用者

建筑师倾向于按照自己的价值观和关注点进行设计。因此，为虚构用户（尤其是残疾用户）进行设计可能会带来重大挑战。借鉴重点民族志的各个方面，我们展示了建筑师 Stéphane Beel 由于进行性退行性疾病而对未来使用轮椅的预期如何影响他同情和为轮椅使用者设计的意愿和能力。我们研究了比利时的一座博物馆建筑，作为一个更大的设计团队的一员，他帮助修复、翻新和扩建，特别注意（轮椅）无障碍。我们依靠采访、观察、设计文件和由 Stéphane 指导的两次旅行。我们的研究结果表明，Stéphane 对用户产生共鸣的能力得益于他灵活地使用他的具身自我，以及他在各个设计阶段的职位之间的移动。突出与轮椅使用者的身体共振似乎有助于将他人融入自我并达到影响。同时，将自己视为他人有助于通过他人的眼光看待设计。同理心让 Stéphane 设计了包容性的环境，不是因为他体现了从使用轮椅或作为建筑师的技术知识中获得的知识，而是因为他感到受到自己未来可能性的影响。与冷漠相反，这种影响在他的建筑中引发了强烈的反应。将自我视为他人促进了通过他人的眼光看待设计。同理心让 Stéphane 设计了包容性的环境，不是因为他体现了从使用轮椅或作为建筑师的技术知识中获得的知识，而是因为他感到受到自己未来可能性的影响。与冷漠相反，这种影响在他的建筑中引发了强烈的反应。将自我视为他人促进了通过他人的眼光看待设计。同理心让 Stéphane 设计了包容性的环境，不是因为他体现了从使用轮椅或作为建筑师的技术知识中获得的知识，而是因为他感到受到自己未来可能性的影响。与冷漠相反，这种影响在他的建筑中引发了强烈的反应。