Architecture for Neurodiversity: Designing for Control, Choice, and the SensesPresented by:Save this picture!Westmark Lower School / NBBJ. Image Courtesy of NBBJPublicly occupied spaces can be overwhelming. Airports, schools, stadiums, and workplaces all feature environments with visual chaos that can be disorienting and stressful for individuals, especially those who are neurodiverse. The bombardment of stimuli, unpredictable movements, and competing visual information can create barriers to occupant comfort. Architects are regularly encouraged to create spaces that recognize and honor individual differences. Designing for neurodiversity is one way of championing inclusivity and extending principles of universal design.Conservatively, one in five people are considered neurodivergent, meaning they process information differently than what's considered the norm. As studies progress, researchers are finding that "typical" processing is becoming a narrower margin - every individual processes information uniquely. In built environments, the largest design challenges are sensory: sound, temperature, lighting, acoustics, proximity to others, and touch. While these elements impact an occupant's ability to focus and succeed, for neurodivergent individuals, these impacts can be debilitating rather than merely irritating.Save this picture!Designing for neurodiversity means creating environments that allow all occupants to find the right sensory settings to thrive. It requires considering concepts like environmental stimulation, social interaction, safety, predictability, and cognitive load, while supporting refuge and autonomy. Creating clear navigable paths, intuitive wayfinding, strategic use of color, and designated retreat zones for overwhelmed individuals is one way of addressing these needs. Related Article Neuroarchitecture: How Your Brain Responds to Different Spaces When designing for neurodiversity, it is important to acknowledge the definition and differences between hypersensitive and hyposensitive individuals. Hypersensitive occupants have acute reactions to sensory stimulation where they might be overwhelmed by smells, noise, or proximity to others and prefer order and structure. The hyposensitive need more stimulation such as physical movement or music to engage and requiring more vigorous environments to focus. Some people are sensory neutral, falling in a predictable middle range. Architects and designers must create spaces accommodating everyone along this spectrum of sensitivities.Save this picture!"The design of spaces must be considered at the scale of the entire journey of the individual using it", shares Kay Sargent, Global Co-Director of HoK's WorkPlace team and author of Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces: Advancing Sensory Processing and Cognitive Well-Being in the Built Environment. Elaborating on her experience designing for various environments, she explains how they create day-in-the-life scenarios to help designers understand how different individuals might navigate the same space, emphasizing the importance of sensory awareness. When designing for neurodiversity, architects leverage all elements and principles of design - space, volume, sequencing, color, pattern, material - to create environments supporting individual needs.In the workplace design context, different people have different sensitivities, professions, and tasks. "Before COVID, there was a huge push to densify workplaces, putting many people in open environments without spatial sequencing or zoning. People had very little control, few options, and limited choice while being exposed to potentially intense sensory irritants," Sargent explains. For heads-down concentrated work, specific environments support focus. For collaboration, lighting, colors, and spatial volume can be altered to encourage movement, innovation, and invigoration.Save this picture!When assessing spaces for neurodiversity, designers can examine multiple factors. Sensory wellness involves providing individuals with the ability to control their environment, such as adjusting daylight, tactile, and acoustical elements. Flexibility and adaptability are important for allowing personalization of spaces through modular furniture or movable walls. Safety and security are essential, as neurodivergent individuals may perceive safety differently and face unique challenges during emergencies, which include considerations for wayfinding, corridor widths, and signage.Predictability and clarity contribute to a sense of calm and autonomy by offering a predictable floor plan, helping individuals feel more in control. Finally, social balance recognizes the impact of design on social dynamics, especially for neurodivergent individuals who may have difficulty with social cues. This can be addressed by creating spaces that offer both opportunities for solitude and interaction, such as semi-enclosed areas where people can be "by themselves together." In evaluating a space, it is important to assess how well these categories are addressed and identify areas for improvement."A key insight from our research on designing to meet the needs of neurodivergent individuals really comes down to choice and control," Stephen Lenz, Design Strategy Practice Leader at Perkins$Will, shares about the firm's Neurodiversity Toolkit. This empowers the individual and allows us to accommodate varying needs rather than provide everything to everyone at once. As designers, we are reframing the goal from correcting or mitigating "problems" to instead enhancing and celebrating the unique ways in which people engage with their environment.Save this picture!Save this picture!A decade ago, the concept of neurodiversity in design was not widely recognized, but today, there is much greater awareness, though education remains key. Sargent notes that many clients initially express skepticism, with some questioning its relevance to them. However, after educational presentations, perceptions often shift significantly. "Over the past couple of years, neurodiversity has become more top of mind for clients - they are now asking about it just as we're bringing it to them," says Lenz.This shift highlights the personal nature of the issue, as many people either identify with neurodiversity themselves or know others affected by it. Clients increasingly recognize the importance of addressing sensory elements in the built environment, as these elements affect everyone. To address this, educational sessions are typically a core part of the design process, often expanding to the user groups."Many people are out of touch with sensory stimulation because we've learned to mask and suffer through environments we can't control," states Sargent. "Our philosophy is 'when we design for the extreme, we benefit the mean." Ultimately, the goal is to design spaces that accommodate a wide range of users, providing options, choices, and control, allowing individuals to naturally gravitate toward the environments that make them feel comfortable.Save this picture!Designing for neurodiversity is about providing balanced options and choices, and assigning people based on their environmental sensitivities rather than their function in a space. "The approach doesn't require broad standardization like the ADA guidelines," Lenz proclaims, "Good design that's welcoming and effective inherently solves for this."As designers, it's our responsibility to advocate for inclusivityit's not an optional add-on. Designing for neurodiversity responds to the reality that individuals are wired differently. Everyone represents diversity in thought, experience, and cognition. Empowering a variety of people and perspectives results in rich interactions and a thriving culture, contributing to the development of human-centered environments.Save this picture!This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: Atmosphere in Architecture and Perception of Space, proudly presented by Vitrocsa, the original minimalist windows since 1992.Vitrocsa created the original minimalist window systems, offering frameless solutions with the narrowest sightline barriers in the world. For over 30 years, we have pursued innovation and Swiss-made excellence to transform ambitious architectural visions into reality, enhancing atmospheres through light, transparency, and designEvery month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and architecture projects. We invite you to learn more about our ArchDaily Topics. And, as always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorAnkitha GattupalliAuthorCite: Ankitha Gattupalli. "Architecture for Neurodiversity: Designing for Control, Choice, and the Senses" 10 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1027772/architecture-for-neurodiversity-designing-for-control-choice-and-the-senses&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream