Neurodivergence and Archtecture - Chapter Fourteen - Designing with neurodiverse children and adults: learning a different lesson with every engagement

The constructed project is our Classroom for the Future at Mossbrook Special School in Sheffield. Here we collaborated with an ambitious school community to find an imaginative proposal for teaching science to autistic children, some of whom had other physical impairments. Using consultation with pupils and the generosity of staff to educate and inform us, we were able to produce a project that won numerous plaudits for how it made learning through haptic experiences fun and engaging.
The second project builds on the principles of research and engagement which were embedded within the design of Mossbrook School. Although unbuilt, it reflects on the knowledge gained through our previous work, translating lessons from the education sector to the residential sector and beyond. In collaboration with Habinteg Housing Association, we have been seeking to update and deepen our understanding of how adults as well as children with neurodiversities and other physical impairments navigate the built environment within everyday life. By continuing to be curious and investigate how others use the built environment we hope to assimilate new insights that can help designers such as us improve the experiences of a wider range of people.