What are neuro-inclusive environments?

Neuro-inclusive environments aim to accommodate the full spectrum of neurodiversity, ensuring environments are accessible and supportive, delivering significant value for building users, owners, and tenants alike.

What is neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity is an umbrella term that recognises the variety of ways in which human brains can function differently. The profiles can be broadly expressed under three headings. This is described in the introduction to PAS 6463 Design for the Mind: Neurodiversity and the Built Environment – the British Standards guidance, sponsored by Buro Happold, TfL, BBC and Forbo, for which Buro Happold inclusive environments specialist Jean Hewitt was BSI’s appointed technical author, working with a steering group of experts with lived and professional experience. The three groupings, as defined in the PAS 6463 guidance are:

“a. neurotypical (someone fitting a majority neurological profile and is not neurodivergent);

b. neurodivergent (someone who fits outside majority neurological profile, for example those with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and Tourette’s syndrome – there is no definitive list of conditions associated with neurodivergence); and

c. neurodegenerative (whereby sensory and/or information processing differences develop over time through brain diseases, such as different forms of dementia or Parkinson’s).”

Many who are diagnosed as neurodivergent, including people with neurodegenerative conditions, experience information and/or sensory processing differences. Some 70% experience hypersensitivity through one or more of the senses, which results in a sensory response which can feel intense and overwhelming. Others may experience hyposensitivity, where the response is minimal or underwhelming and as a result individuals may be sensory seeking. Some people are hypersensitive to some elements, and hyposensitive to others. For the built environment, the key consideration is hypersensitivity, as sensory seeking individuals are typically able to add sensory stimulation themselves through stimming, headphones etc.

Sensory environments

Our lived experience of the built environment is multi-sensory. The sights, sounds, and even the touch and smell of the spaces around us affect our interpretation, navigation and enjoyment. When any one of these sensory experiences is not aligned with our sensory needs, individuals can experience different levels of discomfort. When someone is hypersensitive to more than one element, the impact is compounded and felt even more profoundly. Hypersensitive individuals particularly can find some elements of the built environment uncomfortable or distressing, due to the neurological differences that affect information and sensory processing. Neuro-inclusive environments help to mitigate such negative impacts.

Everyone experiences their environment differently. Stakeholder engagement is therefore critical, especially with neurodivergent individuals who experience hypersensitivity.

Key principles of a neuro-inclusive environment are to achieve clear interpretation and navigation, as well as providing, where practicable, different types of environments to give agency to individuals over how they choose to use and engage with each space.

The Three Cs

Our evidence-led approach to creating neuro-inclusive environments can be summed up with three words: clarity, choice and calm, which are umbrella terms that cover all of the principles to be adopted. 

“Clarity – providing a space that feels logical and familiar and is easily navigable.

Choice – giving some control of the environment to the user, either through adjustments the individual can make or the opportunity for decision making, such as choosing to sit in a different area for individual study or to collaborate and socialise.

Calm – the assurance that there will always be places of calm, such as quiet rooms or external retreats for people to go to when it all becomes overwhelming.” 

This “Three Cs” approach has been one of the ways that Buro Happold has explained the principles succinctly since the 2022 publication of the PAS 6463 and it is included in recent guidance for AUDE – the Association of University Directors of Estates which was published for its members in January 2025*.

Key sensory considerations

Clarity

Neuro-inclusive spaces should be easy to navigate, reducing the potential to overwhelm or trigger anxiety as a result of complex layouts.

Inclusive wayfinding strategies are an important consideration. Clear signage, intuitive navigation, and the use of visual aids can help individuals with sensory and/or information processing differences to navigate spaces more easily. This includes logical building layouts, predictability and ensuring the capacity to move through spaces intuitively.

Considered layouts can also offer support by providing elements of preview to the spaces ahead while navigating through the building. By giving advance information or allowing a person to see into a space before moving into it, some elements of uncertainty are removed, enabling them to be better prepared before moving on into an environment that might be very different, for example particularly busy, bright or noisy.

Choice

It is important for user comfort and wellbeing, that users of the built environment are given, where possible, some control over the experience they have. For example, in a workplace, this may be the choice of working in busier, more collaborative spaces or quieter, more focused spaces with appropriate acoustics to reduce background noise, and finishes and fittings that make the environment feel visually more private, which eliminates many distractions.

Adjustability in lighting allows users to choose their preferences between warmer or cooler colours. Further control can be provided with movable furniture and adaptable layouts that can be reconfigured to meet individual preferences.

Calm

The potential for sensory overload can be minimised by achieving appropriate acoustics for controlling anticipated noise levels.

Thoughtful consideration of materials, patterns and textures can also help create a more comfortable environment. This includes using natural materials and muted, simple colour schemes. It also includes avoiding highly-contrasting linear patterned finishes, glare or repetitive reflections – all of which can be disturbing to some with visual hypersensitivity.

Private quiet rooms provide areas where individuals can retreat if they feel overwhelmed.

Considerations around biophilia, or bringing elements of nature into the space, can have a calming effect and improve overall wellbeing. This can include everything from incorporating appropriate planting to nature-inspired artwork and ensuring natural daylighting and clear lines of sight to external landscaping.

This biophilic concept extends into interior finishes and materials. Research shows that natural timber finishes tend to create calming spaces and fractal patterns that occur in nature (i.e. waves, leaves, petals) are less intrusive and require less effort to filter out than “unnatural” patterns (e.g. regular stripes or chequered patterning).

Creating spaces for the comfort of all

Incorporating the three Cs give users some control, which can be empowering for all. This means designing-in flexibility and adaptability as well as providing a variety of different kinds of spaces that are easily modified to meet the varying needs of users.

There is a growing appreciation in the built environment industry and wider society for the importance of planning spaces with neurodiversity in mind. Neuro-inclusive environments ensure spaces are comfortable for everyone, including people with neurodivergent profiles. By incorporating elements that meet different sensory and information processing needs, discomfort and barriers can be reduced, fostering inclusivity and enhancing the overall user experience. This approach not only promotes equity and wellbeing but also broadens the usability of spaces, making them more welcoming and comfortable for everyone.

Buro Happold’s Neuro-inclusive Environments team is a multi-disciplinary unit comprising key individuals from the Inclusive Environments, Lighting Design and Acoustics specialisms, with proven experience in producing award-winning spaces for neuro-inclusion. Learn more about our work.

*Association of University Directors of Estates: ‘Neurodiversity – Design and management guide for Higher Education environments’ can be downloaded by members at https://www.aude.ac.uk/Resources