special needs architecture

8/9/2019 special needs architecture

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The center is located in a newly developed suburb of greater Cairo,

Egypt, as part of New in the Qattameya district

The total plot is approximately 42 m2 ! 4", 2# sft$ with a

permissible footprint of %& or '2 m2 !'2,(') sft$

*aximum allowable height is '% m or % stories,

creating a maximum built+up area %) m2 !%#," sft$ above ground-

.or cost+e/ciency purposes these areas have been maximi0ed toaccommodate as many students as possible-

full+time educational services to students,

1art+time support and supervision to at least " others-

Acoustics:

s mentioned previously, a preliminary exploratory survey of '

parents and primary caregivers of children with utism 3pectrum

isorder !3$ ran5ed acoustics as the most infuential eature othe sensory environment upon autistic behavior-

.urther empirical research has shown that by reducing noise levels and

echo in educational spaces for children with autism, their attention

spans, response times and behavioral temperament, as measured by

instances of self+stimulatory behavior, are all improved-

This improvement reached in some instances a tripling of attention

span, a )& decrease in response time and a )& decrease in

instances of self+stimulatory behavior !*ostafa,2#$- This criterion proposes that the acoustical environment be controlled to

minimi0e bac5ground noise, echo and reverberation within spaces used

by individuals with 3-

The level of such acoustical control should vary according to the level

of focus re6uired in the activity at hand within the space, as well as the

s5ill level and conse6uently severity of the autism of its users-

.or example, activities of higher focus, or according to 3ensory esign

Theory, those ta5ing place in 7low stimulus 0ones8, should be alloweda higher level of acoustical control to 5eep bac5ground noise, echo and

reverberation to a minimum-

lso provisions should be made for di9erent levels of acoustical control

in various rooms, so students can 7graduate8 from one level of

acoustical control to the next, slowly moving towards a typical

environment in order to avoid the 7greenhouse8 e9ect !*ostafa, 2#$-


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2. Spatial Sequencing

This criterion is based on the concept of capitali0ing on the a/nity of

individuals with autism to routine and predictability-

Coupled with the criterion of 3ensory :oning, which will be discussed

shortly, 3patial 3e6uencing re6uires that areas be organi0ed in a

logical order, based on the typical scheduled use of such spaces- 3paces should ;ow as seamlessly as possible from one activity to the

next through one+way circulation whenever possible, with minimal

disruption and distraction, using Transition :ones-

%- Escape Space

The ob


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"- Transition Zones

>or5ing to facilitate both 3patial 3e6uencing and 3ensory :oning, the

presence of transition 0ones helps the user recalibrate their senses as

they move from one level of stimulus to the next-

3uch 0ones can ta5e on a variety of forms

a distinct node that indicates a shift in circulation to a full sensory

room that allows the user to re+calibrate their sensory stimulation level

before transitioning from an area of high+stimulus to one of low+

stimulus-

)- Sensory Zoning

This criterion proposes that when designing for autism, spaces should

be organi0ed in accordance to their sensory 6uality, rather than the

typical architectural approach of functional 0oning-

?rouping spaces according to their allowable stimulus level, spaces are

organi0ed into 0ones of 7high+stimulus8 and 7low stimulus8-

The former could include areas re6uiring high alertness and physical

activity such as physical therapy and gross motor s5ill building spaces-

The latter could include spaces for speech therapy, computer s5ills and

libraries-

Transition 0ones are used to shift from one 0one to the next-

-Saety

point never to be overloo5ed when designing learning environments,

safety is even more of a concern for children with autism who may

have an altered sense of their environment-

.ittings to protect from hot water and an avoidance of sharp edges and

corners are examples of some of these considerations-

AC!"TECT#A$ %&'A(:

A)ministration

Central dministration,

@eception rea,


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ccounts,

Aoard of irectors

*aculty A)ministration

.aculty o/ces and services

3chool director,

Clinical director,

@egistrar o/ces,

Teacher trainingB .aculty

conference room,

.aculty lounge with wor5stations

*ain resource library

Assessment an) +iagnostic Centre

>aiting area for parents and applicants

iagnostic room e6uipped with aBv,

bservation room,

Conference room,

iagnostic center

directorDs o/ceB visiting

specialist

,. E)ucational an) Therapy Centre

Core Educational 3paces

Class bases !'$,

bservation rooms,

ne to one instructional spaces

3hared resource rooms and teacher prep areas,


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3torage

Therapy Spaces

3peech and language therapy !)$ with ad


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1roduce outlet

Ausiness and Computer center,

Aa5ery outlet

Community %articipation Spaces

*ulti+purpose ssembly hall

Ancillary Services

Aathrooms

Hitchens !including life s5ills 5itchen in model home$

Electromechanical 3ervices

"- Assiste) $iving Centre

1rivate single and double student bedrooms with en suite bathrooms !(

housing (+')

3tudents$,

3upervisor bedrooms with en suite bathrooms !%$,

?roup living room and wor5space !' per ;oorI %$, Hitchenette !' per ;oorI

%$,

*edical coordinatorJs o/ce !'$,

@esidence managerJs o/ce !'$,

.amily room and group lounge ad


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The utism 31ECT33K esign Lndex presents design criteriaBissues that

have been indicated, through interviews, focus groups, surveys and

experimental research, to be facilitative of positive behavior and s5ill

development in users with autism-

These criteria areM

coustics

3patial se6uencing

Escape spaces

Compartmentali0ation

Transition spaces

3ensory 0oning

3afety

These criteria form the basis for both a design matrix, which can helpdevelop design solutions for speci=c pro


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perfect and calm environment, only to fall apart and lose all their s5ills

when they were confronted with the real world- >ith the index, to

combat this greenhouse e9ect, L propose a gradual weaning+o9 from

the strict application of the fullest manifestation of the criteria,

allowing the users with autism to gradually generali0e their newly

ac6uired s5ills in less+controlled environments-

special needs architecture

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