Qualifications
Camilla Ryhl is research director at the Bevica Foundation and professional manager of the Universal Design Hub.
She holds a master's degree and a doctoral degree in architecture from the Royal Academy in Copenhagen. She specializes in universal design and the sensuous qualities of architecture, as well as the interpretation and implementation of universal design as an interdisciplinary principle. Camilla is considered a leading international expert in the field of universal design.
She has more than 25 years of experience as a researcher and lecturer in universal design, including as head of the research group for universal design at BUILD AAU in Copenhagen, as a Fulbright Scholar and Ed Roberts Post Doc Fellow at UC Berkeley, and as the Nordic Region's first Professor of Universal Design at Bergen School of Architecture in Norway.
Camilla, together with Proffesor Ray Lifchez, an icon in the field of universal design, has been the first to develop and teach universal design at UC Berkeley, as well as later being responsible for the development of the Nordic region's first Master in Universal Design at BUILD AAU.
Her expertise in the field of universal design and its global perspectives is reflected in her extensive international network and many international activities, including as a member of various national and international conference committees, professional networks and working groups.
She has been disseminating and publishing about universal design as a concept for 25 years, and in particular her latest book “Universal Design in Architecture — on enabling and empowering a diverse population” (Arkitektens Forlag, 2024) maps and explores universal design as a professional and interdisciplinary means of ensuring equal inclusion.
Role in Bevica Foundation's Universal Design Hub
In Universal Design Hub, Camilla draws up the professional profile and direction of the hub and ensures that the activities and competencies of the hub support the Bevica Foundation's strategic work, including in both strategic collaborations and international relations.
She gives presentations and participates in debates, etc., where the Bevica Foundation's strategic work to implement universal design, as a means of ensuring equal participation in all the frameworks of life lived, is in play.
Responsibilities in the Bevica Foundation's Universal Design Hub
Camilla is responsible for the professional development and operation of the hub. Including also the professional basis for the interpretation and implementation of the universal design concept.
She is also responsible for ensuring knowledge development and input into the Bevica Foundation's strategic partnerships and collaborations, as well as, of course, the hub's many professional activities and projects.
Read more from Camilla
Ryhl, C. (2024) Universal Design in Architecture — on enabling and empowering a diverse population, Arkitektens Forlag, Copenhagen https://arkitektensforlag.dk/shop/p/universal-design-in-architecture-on-enabling-and-empowering-a-diverse-population
Podcasts: https://www.bylyd.dk/90-det-menneskelige-habitat-kroppe-er-forskellige
Lecture en ligne: https://humancentereddesign.org/media/52
Ryhl, C and Høyland, K (2018) Inclusive Architecture, Fagbokforlaget, Trondheim
Ryhl, C and Frandsen, A.K. (2016) Expanding the field of knowledge: Developing a professional master in Universal Design in the built environment, Nordic Architecture Research 2016
Ryhl, C. (2016) Can you hear architecture? Conference proceedings, AHFE 2016, Springer, NYC