Eight years ago, Kay Sargent, the director of thought leadership for interiors at HOK, was confronted with a question that prompted her to delve deeper into the intersection of design and neurodiversity: “How do you design space for someone who has ADHD?”
As a mother of five, including two neurodivergent children, Sargent felt compelled to find a better answer. This led her and her team at HOK on a mission to research and understand how to effectively design built environments that cater to individuals with cognitive challenges and sensory-processing issues.
Sargent’s findings revealed a significant lack of resources and information regarding the needs of neurodivergent individuals, whose conditions encompass autism, attention-deficit disorders, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. With one in five people experiencing some form of neurodivergent condition, this lack of information could mean that conventional office distractions—like loud conversations, background music, or visual clutter—hinder productivity for 20% of workers.
“We are all processing information differently,” Sargent stated. “We are all neurodiverse. We just aren’t all neurodivergent.”
According to Sargent, the design of workplaces should embrace open spaces while also providing varied environments tailored to meet the diverse needs of employees, which may change throughout the workday. For instance, some individuals may be sensitive to noise, requiring quieter spaces, while others thrive in bustling environments where they can work alongside others.
The key challenge, as she articulated, is to create a balanced acoustic environment that allows individuals to choose their surroundings based on the task at hand. “What you might need to thrive could drive me absolutely crazy,” she said.
Sargent highlighted that traditional office design has fallen short over the past four decades by oversimplifying workers’ needs to a ‘one size fits all’ approach that does not serve the majority effectively.
With changing dynamics in the workforce and a push for employees to return to physical offices post-pandemic, the urgency of neuroinclusive design has heightened. Companies like Amazon and Starbucks are leading the charge, calling for employees to return to the office more regularly, prompting designers to reconsider their approach to workspace layout.
For the past eight years, Sargent and her team have been exploring how office environments can be better designed to support neurodivergent individuals, sharing their insights with design firms worldwide. They undertook a comprehensive redesign of HOK’s Seattle office to evaluate the responses of their own employees. Through surveys, interviews, workshops, and various research initiatives, they identified small and large design changes that could enhance comfort and focus for neurodivergent workers.
The adjustments implemented included reducing visual clutter, modifying lighting options, establishing quiet areas, and designating specific zones for various types of work.
Following these changes, employees reported a staggering 38% increase in their ability to manage acoustics in their workspace, along with a 24% boost in creativity and idea generation and a 16% enhancement in overall productivity.
“Workers moved more, felt healthier, engaged better, and reported feeling more in control with fewer distractions,” Sargent mentioned proudly.
In the spring of this year, Sargent published a book titled “Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces: Advancing Sensory Processing and Cognitive Well-Being in the Built Environment” based on these discoveries.
She emphasized that designing with neurodivergent individuals in mind ultimately benefits everyone within the workspace. “People who are neurodivergent are the canary in the coalmine,” she explained. “They may identify barriers more acutely, but the impact is felt by everyone in that space.”
Beyond office settings, Sargent argued that these design principles can extend to various public spaces where individuals gather to learn, play, or socialize.
“With our chaotic world, any measures we can implement to reduce stress and facilitate holistic functioning in different environments positively affects everyone,” she remarked.
As the design industry shifts to be more inclusive, Sargent’s work is contributing significantly towards building environments that respect and accommodate a wide spectrum of cognitive processes and sensory needs.
image source from：kuow
