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Day, K and Martel, A (2021) Designing for Neurodiversity: Reimagining the Home for a COVID Normal Life. In: Scott, L and Neilson, C J (Eds.), Proceedings 37th Annual ARCOM Conference, 6-7 September 2021, UK, Association of Researchers in Construction Management, 67-76.
- Type: Conference Proceedings
- Keywords: Housing design, disability, COVID normal, multidisciplinary, phenomenology
- ISBN/ISSN:
- URL: http://www.arcom.ac.uk/-docs/proceedings/aad892e5a964eaa799f58cd817ac6da6.pdf
- Abstract:
As cities went into lockdown in response to COVID-19, for many, the role of the home in everyday life expanded. Activities that would normally occur at another venue, including work, study, recreation, and health appointments, were reconfigured to be done in the home. Among the legacies from this experience is a clearer understanding of the spatial and phenomenological quality of the spaces in which we live. Housing design already assigns private and public areas within dwellings, such as bedrooms and living rooms, but these are often rigidly defined and largely inflexible for alternative uses. Research on designing housing suitable for people with cognitive disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), (such as a ‘sensory design’ approach, where it is necessary to move beyond public vs private, and recognise other dicotisms, light/ dark, warm/cool, loud/quiet, hard/soft, work/rest, and so on, and the transition between modes), may provide lessons for more general COVID-normal housing design. This study analyses three case studies of residential accommodation for people with ASD as opportunities for developing more responsive housing that can adapt to the demand for a greater range of activities to be fulfilled in the home.