CHAPTER 6CASE STUDIES OF SPECIALIZED ENVIRONMENTS
CHAPTER 7 ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
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An increasing awareness of the specialised needs of individuals with physical impairments has resulted in the mandatory incorporation of physically accessible elements within built environments. However, people with emotional and developmental impairments, such as individuals with ASD, are still uncatered for. The study shows that individuals with ASD are influenced by the built environment as much as, if not more than, neurotypical individuals, and that when the built environment is considered and designed for their specialized needs, positive effects can be seen. For example, GA Architects design for the Sunfield Rowan and Oak Autism Residential Units takes careful consideration of the specialised needs of the residents. The building layout provides the children with freedom and autonomy to wander around unaided while the curved walls, neutral colours, high ceilings, noise-reducing components and natural light are all designed specifically to enhance children's feelings of calm, comfort and security (Whitehurst, 2006). These design considerations have created a positive environment in which these children show improved behaviours and skill development. Such environmental aspects are often not considered because treatments for ASD's are considered to be behavioural interventions, biomedical treatments, or play therapies. Rarely are the effects of the built environment included. However, this research has identified several key architectural design considerations which address the specialised needs of individuals with ASD and their careful consideration leads to the design of positive environments.
Children with ASD experience a wide spectrum of sensory difficulties affecting their experiences of the built environment. For example, complex environments with a lot of sensory stimuli cause stress to children with ASD because they are unable to filter or differentiate between separate stimuli. These stimuli such as shapes, noises and colours form negative environments which are confusing and deeply troubling. Hence, environments for children with ASD should be designed with a sense of simplicity and order, with low-sensory stimulus so as to reduce stress, sensory overload and anxiety. This can be achieved by the use of a limited palette of materials and colours, as in the New Struan Centre for Autism, with patterned materials and bold colours being eliminated from the environment. This reduction in detail and stimuli provides children with clear, calm spaces. These simple environments with minimal stimulation provide the best opportunities for adaption, so that stimuli can be added to the environment as and when needed. Brown's School uses this concept, providing neutral base classrooms to which various colours and textures are added for specific children's needs.
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From observations made during this study it was determined that the idea of simplicity and order should be carried through to the circulation spaces within buildings for children with ASD. Their difficulties in vestibular and kinaesthetic integration, their difficulties in following environmental cues and their difficulties in transitioning between spaces makes navigating complicated buildings impossible without guidance. Therefore, by providing simple, legible routes within a building, children with ASD are able to navigate the building independently, increasing their confidence. New Struan Centre for Autism is designed around a central circulation spine enabling a clear view of the whole school so that children can easily orientate themselves within the building, in addition a system of threshold spaces separate the main circulation space and the classrooms. These clearly defined threshold spaces help children transition between the circulation space and the classrooms.
Brown's School incorporated small breakaway spaces accessible from the main classroom areas. It was observed that this variety of larger and smaller spaces caters for children's varying sensitivities to spaces. Some children feel cramped and threatened within small spatial volumes while others feel anxious and exposed in large spatial volumes. The enclosed breakaway spaces provide an area where children can escape when feeling overwhelmed in the larger classroom space, allowing the children control over their experiences. Natural light and ventilation are crucial components in the comfort and well- being of all people. Children with ASD have a tendency towards depression and dark spaces exacerbate this. Therefore natural light and ventilations' uplifting qualities need to be incorporated in any building for ASD. However, excessive glare, contrast, shadow and exterior views are distracting to children with ASD. Aitken and Turnbull Architects provided an innovative solution to the natural lighting issues in the design of New Struan Centre for Autism. High level windows allow for natural light to penetrate the classrooms and a light shelf and angled ceiling diffuses the direct sunlight, eliminating distracting shadows and glare. Low level windows have opaque blinds allowing filtered light into the classrooms while blocking distracting views. The result is well illuminated classrooms with none of the negative implications.
Children with ASD's inabilities to filter stimuli means that they are easily distracted and affected by noise. Internally, acoustic ceilings, soft flooring and furnishings can be used to reduce noise levels, echo and reverberation, creating cosier environments; while shiny reflective surfaces should be avoided as they create noisy, uncomfortable spaces. Externally filtering devices such as trees or vegetation screens and masking elements such as running water can be utilized to reduce unwanted urban noise. Livingstone Primary School caters for
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individuals with sensory processing auditory disorder who battle with the reverberation of sounds and distorted sounds. Carpeted floors and mechanical FM systems are incorporated into the small classrooms increasing the acoustic quality of these environments. The school building is buffered from the noisy semi-urban street by large areas of planting and trees. The research indicates that people's emotions, moods and behaviours are strongly influenced by the colour of their surroundings, and that warm, low arousal colours, such as muted pinks, are optimal for people with learning disabilities while the use of a wide variety of colours and the use of primary colours should be limited or avoided altogether. Plain bare walls provide the opportunity for stimulus to be added as needed to suit individual needs. For example, the circulation space at New Struan Centre for Autism is a neutral colour with stimulation being added in the form of children's paintings, personalising the space.
Outdoor spaces and gardens are useful outlets for children with ASD where they can safely reduce stress and frustration. Brown's School provides two outdoor play areas where children can engage in behaviours which are controlled within the classroom environment, eliminating pent up frustrations. Safety and security for children with ASD is crucial because they do not understand the dangers of the situations and environments in which they find themselves. It is important for a building to have good lines of observation so that children can monitored at a distance without them being uncomfortable or stressed, feeling constantly watched. Although they need to be monitored a level of confidence and independence also needs to be instilled in them. Sunfield's Rowan and Oak houses were designed so that staff can easily monitor the children wherever they are. The central courtyard, circulation spaces and bedroom wings are all designed to create good view lines so that the staff can unobtrusively monitor the children with ease.
The research has highlighted the following architectural elements for their influence on the design of positive environments for children with ASD; a sense of calm, order and simplicity, legibility and way-finding, sense of openness and closure, borders and transitional spaces, light and ventilation, acoustics, colour, contact with nature and security, safety and supervision. These elements do not act in isolation; instead they collectively create positive built environments for individuals with ASD, encouraging independence and self-sufficiency.
It is this idea of independence that is pivotal for facilitating and improving the quality of life for all special needs individuals, especially those with ASD. Specialised environments need to ensure that they are designed in such a way as to prepare individuals for the outside world rather than just creating protected environments which leave individuals ill-equipped for the dangers and extremes of the outside world.
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