When Design Informs Well-Being

When you picture a classroom, you probably think of a series of desks and chairs, or a big table with chairs around it. While this design has long worked for most students, for some it just doesn’t. Sitting still for a long lecture or seminar can be nearly impossible for neurodivergent students, who might need to walk around, or find a corner to take a break.

That’s just one of the considerations under the microscope in the “Environments for Inclusion” seminar taught by Irina Verona, adjunct assistant professor in architecture and an expert in designing for neurodiversity at the firm Verona Carpenter Architects. “There are so many things we can do with design in order to empower the occupants of a space,” says Verona. “There’s a big cultural shift that needs to happen in order to accommodate a range of people.”

The mission of the seminar is to help identify biases in building and space design and focus on ways to undo them. This can extend from classroom space into open public spaces as well. “Public spaces have differences beyond the physical that we should consider,” explains Verona.

The students did a sensory audit of open spaces on the Barnard campus, reimagining certain areas. “We record visual characteristics but also sounds, smells, and textures, and how a body might react to them,” says Verona. “Many of the students envisioned a safe, cocoonlike environment. These are the hidden desires in design that we need to take into consideration.”

Verona and her team found that for many students, the idea of creative redesign resonated. This is a population, she says, that has long lived with frustration when it comes to learning and living environments because their needs are not always met. “We’re used to seeing physical accommodations for mobility limitations,” she says. “Picture a ramp for wheelchairs, for example. But other cognitive- or sensory-related differences aren’t always visible, and we just expect people to adjust to their environment.”

This year will be the second that Barnard has offered the architecture seminar, and enrollment was capped at 16. “We had a lot of interest but opted to keep it small,” Verona says.

Last year’s class turned out two students who continued to do research with Verona after the seminar. They investigated historical moments surrounding inclusion and design, going back to the late 1970s when the push began for physical accommodations. They learned that since then, progress has been slow with regards to design, and they’ve expressed interest in continuing the conversation and study.

“Many of the solutions are really quite simple,” says Verona, “from dim lighting to chairs without backs or seating off to the side, rather than around a table. It’s all about ensuring there are choices available.”

Check out our slideshow below for the other parts of our “Breaking Norms” feature story.