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Autism and Architecture

I

iehayes

New Member
Hello Everyone!

I come to this forum with a curiosity on how autism and architecture work hand in hand.

I am an architecture student in Wales, UK. I am in my third year looking at designing a school for autistic young people. After doing a lot of research on autism I have become heavily interested in how majority of architects do not acknowledge design concepts for a wide range of disabilities and specifically autism.

I am very keen on gathering personal experiences you many have experience in buildings that have no been autism friendly, this will help me to see common design flaws that can be looked into further and designed differently for more inclusive architecture. I aim to push my research as much as possible to help share these issues with as many architects and students in the hope they do no carry on!

Please share you thoughts, experiences, problems with buildings you haven't got on with, which building is it and why?

This would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you, India :)
 
I hate walking into a building that is brutally cold due to being overly air-conditioned.
Noisy places like Wal-Marts and grocery stores are very stressful. Noise dampening would be nice.
Open waiting areas, especially if you have to sit next to strangers are also stressful. Quiet alcoves would be nice.
Visually busy areas (lots of colors, unusual shapes, etc) are stressful.
 
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No need to re-invent the wheel.

excursion-castillo-loarre.webp


;)
 
I don't know how representative I am, but I am deeply comforted by lots of dark brown wood, carpet, and darker earth tones - mahogany, olive, dark brown, burgundy.
But of course I know that it's impractical to build public spaces like that: too difficult to maintain.
Public spaces, and especially medical spaces, must be easy to clean and repair and must be painfully brightly lit and full of sharp angles and cold colors & textures that hurt, especially if I'm not feeling my best.
 
I second the notion of quiet alcoves. I love places with little hidey holes; nooks and crannies to hide away in when being around people gets too overwhelming.
 
A few things that come to mind:
1. Full-spectrum lighting mimicking natural sunlight, and/or natural lighting. Reflected lighting over direct lighting is preferred. Why? Many autistics have problems with dopamine turnover, and as such, tend to have an underlying depression, or are actually diagnosed with depression. Furthermore, are at an increased risk for seasonal affective disorder. The frequency of light plays a role. Reflected light does not create an abrupt "bright spot" within the visual field and softens the environment.
2. Sound insulation/acoustical engineering. Why? Many autistics have problems with filtering out noise and/or pinpointing where noise is coming from. Any environment that amplifies, reflects, or causes echos is not desirable. An environment where sound is absorbed aids in both of these factors.
3. Thermal management and HVAC design that minimizes drafts. Why? Temperature variations are often a part of the autistic sensory experience and can, at the very least, be distracting. Geothermal heating, heated floors and walls, and other types of radiant heating are often preferred over forced-air systems. Forced-air systems also create a background "white noise" that adds to the auditory sensory experience.

My wife and I are in the design process of our next home, and these are just a few considerations.
 
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Neonatal RRT said:
A few things that come to mind:
1. Full-spectrum lighting mimicking natural sunlight, and/or natural lighting. Reflected lighting over direct lighting is preferred. Why? Many autistics have problems with dopamine turnover, and as such, tend to have an underlying depression, or are actually diagnosed with depression. Furthermore, are at an increased risk for seasonal affective disorder. The frequency of light plays a role. Reflected light does not create an abrupt "bright spot" within the visual field and softens the environment.
2. Sound insulation/acoustical engineering. Why? Many autistics have problems with filtering out noise and/or pinpointing where noise is coming from. Any environment that amplifies, reflects, or causes echos is not desirable. An environment where sound is absorbed aids in both of these factors.
3. Thermal management and HVAC design that minimizes drafts. Why? Temperature variations are often a part of the autistic sensory experience and can, at the very least, be distracting. Geothermal heating, heated floors and walls, and other types of radiant heating are often preferred over forced-air systems. Forced-air systems also create a background "white noise" that adds to the auditory sensory experience.

My wife and I are in the design process of our next home, and these are just a few considerations.
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This is great information thank you for the help. Are there any buildings displaying these design factors that successful work or any that don't work and are uncomfortable?
 
iehayes said:
Are there any buildings displaying these design factors that successful work or any that don't work and are uncomfortable?
Click to expand...

In the business world, success always has a familiar common denominator- profitability. That said, about the only pragmatic thing I can suggest first and foremost is to make whatever accommodations put forth designed in a modular fashion, so when the inevitable happens and the building is repurposed for use by the other 98.2% of society, that it can be done so at minimal cost and effort.

Sadly the very notion that you can find a client who is willing to pay for the design and construction of a building dedicated to optimally serve less than two percent of the population seems a stretch, short of public sector funds to pay for it and keep it perpetually in operation. So contingencies like this would be a must, IMO.

Considerations that may be absent within a classroom, but not a boardroom. Of course my perspective clearly reflects the dilemma of being autistic in America rather than Great Britain.
 
My father was autistic and an architect and draughtsman...he instilled in me a love of good architecture...but ibreally do not care for much from after 1940.
 
Toirtis said:
My father was autistic and an architect and draughtsman...he instilled in me a love of good architecture...but ibreally do not care for much from after 1940.
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This would be super interesting to see some of your fathers work if that is possible
 
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