Detail matters: Exploring sensory preferences in housing design for autistic people

Autistic people deal with their environment in a unique way due to differences in sensory perception. Designing housing for autistic people who are unknown is challenging. This research aims to help bridge the gap between architects’ design intentions and autistic users’ experiences. By combining interviews and participant observation, a case study of a residential facility reveals that autistic users can experience things differently than architects assume. Differences relate especially to noise and temperature perception, the size of shared rooms, and visual stimulation in private units. Sensory preferences incorporated in the design based on particular examples of sensory symptoms within the autism spectrum do not necessarily match the preferences of the actual users. This case study contributes to an accumulative knowledge base of thoroughly studied housing designs for autistic people.

ISBN:978-3-030-43864-7

Publication year:2020