Analiza rozwiązań funkcjonalno-przestrzennych w wybranych ośrodkach akredytowanych przez National Autistic Society

Klaudyna Mentel, Zbyszko Bujniewicz, Luís Miguel Moreira Pinto

doi:10.37190/arc230207

Streszczenie

W Wielkiej Brytanii specjalistyczne ośrodki najlepiej przystosowane dla osób ze spektrum autyzmu otrzymują akredytację stowarzyszenia National Autistic Society. W artykule przedstawiono badanie typu multiple case study wybranych przykładów takich ośrodków. Przedmiotem badania były trzy obiekty z listy, które spełniły kryterium włączenia, zostały rozbudowane w ramach rządowych programów podnoszenia jakości kształcenia. Celem badania była analiza i porównanie wybranych na podstawie badań literaturowych kryteriów projektowych wpływających na kształtowanie struktury funkcjonalno-użytkowej ośrodków. Badanie ma charakter pilotażowy i zostało przeprowadzone metodą ekspercką z perspektywy architekta i terapeuty osób z autyzmem. Wykorzystano materiały źródłowe; badania przedprojektowe, dokumentację techniczną i zdjęcia. Dzięki przeprowadzonej analizie wykazano, że układy funkcjonalne w wyżej wymienionych obiektach zostały zaprojektowane z uwzględnieniem gradacji sensorycznej przestrzeni. Strefa o wysokim bodźcu i strefa o niskim bodźcu są dostępne ze strefy przejściowej, która jest neutralna sensorycznie. Strefowanie sensoryczne przestrzeni jest nadrzędne w stosunku do projektowania funkcjonalnego. Model analizy zebranych danych przedstawiony w ramach badania pilotażowego może posłużyć do rozwijania metody badawczej. Celowe wydaje się rozszerzenie listy kryteriów projektowych i kontynuowanie zbierania danych w celu uzyskania miarodajnych wyników.

Słowa kluczowe:
autyzm
studium-przypadku
architektura
projektowanie

Podgląd pełnego artykułu jest możliwy wyłącznie na większych ekranach.

2023

2(74)

Klaudyna Mentel*, Zbyszko Bujniewicz**,

Luís Miguel Moreira Pinto***

Analysis of functional and spatial solutions in selected centres

accredited by the National Autistic Society

Introduction

This article presents an expert preliminary multiple

case study of education buildings specialized for people

on the autism spectrum. The author has considered only

architectural objects that received accreditation from the

National Autistic Society (NAS). The results of the litera-

ture research indicate some design criteria that should be

implemented in buildings for people with autism spec-

trum disorder. The selected criteria are related to shaping

the layout of the space. The examined schools adapted for

people with autism were designed taking into account the

above-mentioned criteria. The aim of this research was to

describe the implementation of the functional and spatial

solution with respect to the sensory zoning of space and

whether the search for such relationships should be con-

tinued at the next stage of research.

Materials and methods

The National Autistic Society was established in 1962.

The organization operates in the United Kingdom. It de-

limits the standards of care for people with autism. The

NAS provides help, support, and advice on the challenges

of autistic people and their families. NAS accreditation

has been granted to 375 facilities, including 223 educa-

tional facilities [1]. The conducted analysis revealed that

55 facilities from the database have been renovated or

expanded since 2015. The inclusion criteria were met for

buildings that were built as part of government programs

for improving the quality of education in special schools

and to meet the increasing demand for places for students

with special educational needs [2]–[4].

By 2020 the Government would like all schools to be

models of social inclusion, enabling all pupils to partici-

pate fully in school life, while instilling a long-lasting re-

spect for human rights, freedoms, cultures and creative

expression [5, p. 27], all selected buildings were built

based on the design strategies of Designing for disabled

children and children with special educational needs.

Guidance for mainstream and special schools [5, p. 16].

Design standards do not focus on the needs of people with

autism, but dene the basic parameters of the space adopt-

ed for physically disabled people. Selected schools have

been designed in cooperation with administrative special-

ists, including principals, therapists, and parents of peo-

ple with autism. It is an indispensable tool that supports

the design process and supports the assessment of design

solutions already at the design stage and at the stage of

nal social consultations. The selected schools should be

identied among the best adapted for people with autism.

The multiple case study was conducted using the ex-

pert method [6], [7] from the perspective of an architect

and a therapist of people with autism. As a resource mate-

rial, the author used pre-design studies, government doc-

uments, and photos.

Research background

The literature review was carried out through multiple da-

tabases such as SCOPUS, Science Direct, Web of Sci

ence,

DOI: 10.37190/arc230207

Published in open access. CC BY NC ND license

* ORCID: 0000-0001-6399-2711. Faculty of Architecture, Sile-

sian University of Technology, Poland, e-mail: klaudyna.mentel@polsl.pl

** ORCID: 0000-0001-6716-8594. Faculty of Architecture, Sile -

sian University of Technology, Poland.

*** ORCID: 0000-0002-9201-0294. Faculty of Engineering, De-

partment of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University Beira Inte-

rior, Portugal.

70 Klaudyna Mentel, Zbyszko Bujniewicz, Luís Miguel Moreira Pinto

EBSCOhost, Primo and Google Scholar. It revealed 125

peer-reviewed scientic articles on the phrase “autism,

design, architecture and environment”, on Ex Libris. Re-

vealed scripts have been published between 2000–2023.

During the analysis of multiple abstract contents, 13 pub-

lications have been selected as directly related to the de-

sign of schools for people with autism. Moreover, 6 of the

above-mentioned publications concern design criteria for

pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The study carried out by Magda Mostafa presents the

use of the Autism ASPECTSS™ Index method in the

context of post-occupancy evaluation of learning environ-

ments. The described guidelines concern seven design cri-

teria: Acoustics, Spatial Sequencing, Escape Spaces, Com-

partmentalization, Transition Spaces, Sensory Zoning and

Safety [8]. The post occupancy evaluation (POE) study

has been also conducted by Julie Irish, who has taken into

account criteria such as materials, colour scheme, wayn-

ding, lighting, acoustics and security [9], [10]. On the other

hand, ASD pupils mentioned the following as the most im-

portant issues in school design: a playground divided into

zones, a sense of security (location of the teacher’s room),

noise and calm zones, internal circulation spaces, legibili-

ty, their own autistic spectrum condition (ASC) Resource

Base and the wider school environment [11]. Other studies

focus on the analysis of particular physical properties of

space. It has been revealed that acoustic control of rooms

can reduce dicult behaviours and help in therapy [12].

For instance, neutral colours have a calming eect, and

ashy colours stimulate [13]. These publications present

the core issues of designing for people with autism against

a background of research in the eld of psychology, so-

ciology, pedagogy through the involvement of therapists,

people with autism and their parents.

The diagnosis of people with autism spectrum disorder

includes social interaction skills, interpersonal communi-

cation skills, repetitive and stereotyped behaviours. ASD

symptoms also result in signicant malfunctioning of per-

sonal, family, social, educational, occupational or other

important areas of everyday life [14]. The built environ-

ment ought to respond to the sensory needs coming from

the dierent perception of people with autism. The orga-

nization of space can stimulate the development of areas

where cognitive decits are diagnosed based on strengths

in order to achieve satisfactory therapy eects [15]. The

literature review indicate that buildings designed for peo-

ple with autism should be designed taking into account the

needs of children resulting from the diagnostic criteria of

the International Classication of Diseases 11

(ICD-11).

Multiple case study

This publication designates non-statutory guidance on

planning and designing accommodation for new and ex-

isting schools in England – all of which will have at least

some children or young people with special educational

needs (SEN) and disabilities. The buildings were built to

meet the current and increasing demand for the number

of places for students with special educational needs. The

capacity of Ysgol Plas Brondyryn was expanded by

104 spaces [2], and Oaklands School by 152 spaces [3].

Garston Manor School had no plans to increase capacity,

but before redevelopment, the school was nearly half the

size per pupil [4].

The layouts of schools were analysed based on the ex-

ample of accredited buildings: Ysgol Plas Brondyryn,

Oaklands School, and Garston Manor School, which meet

design standards and take into account the limitations of

people with autism. The accomplished analysis of solu-

tions responding to specic design problems concerns

the issue of sensory zoning, which determines the way in

which the zones have been divided in the layout of the

building, the type of transition space between the zones,

and the degree of complexity of waynding.

Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn,

Land West of Ystrad Road, Denbigh, UK

1. General information.

The school has been designed for 116 children, howev-

er, current count is 136 students and 63 on the reserve list.

All the admitted students have a certicate of the need for

special education in the eld of autism. At the moment,

the facility is overcrowded and dispersed – it is located

in 4 dierent locations in the city. The authorities have

decided to build a new facility that would accommodate

220 students, 32 teachers and 65 assistants. The new seat

of the school has been built on a plot of approximately

2.42 ha, and would have an area of 6564 m

. The existing

sports ground in Ystrad Road, Denbigh, adjacent to Den-

bigh Leisure Center in the suburbs, has been used as the

construction site of the facility [16].

2. Functional and spatial solutions of the school.

The site plan design divides the plot into multiple acces-

sibility zones. The public area includes the main entrance

to the school, the entrance to the cafeteria and parking

spaces. Introducing a new small venue open to the local

ASD community gives students the opportunity to acquire

social skills in a controlled environment. The second zone

is available only to employees of the facility (parking lots).

The third, safe zone is designed for students and includes

sensory playgrounds, quiet zones and sports elds, but also

a drop-o area [17].

The main entrance zone is located in the eastern part of

the building, in close proximity to an administrative area.

Students are driven to school, received by school sta

in the drop-o area and dedicated via multiple assigned

entrances to each educational stage. There are no collec-

tive cloakrooms, they are all located in classrooms. In the

central part of the building, between the entrance zones,

there are two dining rooms, which are assigned to each

school, respectively, with stations for individual/group

meal preparation. The organization of space improves the

development of self-care and social skills. The middle and

south wings are two-story. The rst houses the Secondary

School, the second is dedicated for the youngest children

who attend Primary School and Early Years [18]. There

is a café in the northern part of the building. It is directly

adjacent to the lowest wing of the building, which has one

Analysis of functional and spatial solutions in selected centres 71

oor and houses a school for the oldest children over 16

years of age (SSD).

The sensory zones of the space are clearly separated

in the layout of the building (Fig. 1). The loud zone of

the building is grouped with the other noisy zones of the

environment (north-east), similarly with the delineation of

the boundaries of the quiet zone (south-west). The corri-

dor functions as a buer and transition zone and provides

access to both low stimulus and high stimulus functions.

This layout corresponds to the gradation of space acces-

sibility – the zone with a high stimulus is generally avail-

able, the zone with a low stimulus is identied with specif-

ic groups of students. The simple communication system

introduces a clear layout of the space. The vertical line de-

nes the general communication zone, the horizontal lines

are related to the division of individual educational stages.

Oaklands School, Gresham Road, Hounslow, UK

1. General information.

The facility was expanded in 2023 by 152 places and

at the present time provides education at all educational

stages, including adult education up to 25 years of age.

The school has the capacity to accommodate 224 students,

38 teachers and 98 assistants. According to the data for

2023, the school capacity has reached 213 students. All

of them have a statement of the need for special educa-

tion: 70 with ASD, 90 with specic learning disability

(SLD), 64 with profound and multiple learning disabilities

(PMLD) (data refer to maximum occupancy). New head-

quarters built on a plot of the area of 1.76 ha, will have an

area of 9,661 m

. The site is on the east side of Gresham

Road in the London Borough of Hounslow. The school

was built in a recreational area, accessible to the local

community, in close proximity to a residential zone [19].

2. Functional and spatial solutions of the school.

The public area is located in the north-western part

of the site and consists of outdoor playgrounds with e.g.

a sports eld that is dedicated for shared use by the school

and the community. The land development plan includes

a safety drop-o area for students (one-way road system)

in the northern part of the site. Parking spaces for sta and

separate parking zone for parents delivering children to

school have also been designed. The building is located

in the eastern part of the site, with adjacent, intimate and

quiet outdoor spaces grouped outside the classrooms on

the eastern and southern site. They function as a buer

zone between the utility building and the residential area.

This is in line with the need to ensure safety away from

publicly located areas as well [20].

The entrance area is located in the central part of the

building. In its closest proximity are facilities that can be

used by the local community such as a multi-purpose sports

hall, gym, cafeteria, changing rooms, a hydrotherapy pool

and a small hot water pool, art studios, a music studio,

a food technology room and a library. The administrative

sector is directly adjacent to the entrance zone. Students

are transported to school, picked up by the school sta in

the drop-o area and they use entrances assigned to each

educational stage. There are no collective cloakrooms, they

are all located in classrooms. The building is clearly di-

vided into Primary School, Secondary School and Further

Education zones. Divisions are visible in the functional

layout of the building as well as on the façades. Younger

children study in the north-eastern part of the building,

Fig. 1. Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn School, author’s scheme based on source data [17], [18]

Il. 1. Szkoła Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn, autorski schemat na podstawie danych źródłowych [17], [18]

72 Klaudyna Mentel, Zbyszko Bujniewicz, Luís Miguel Moreira Pinto

the north-west of Horseshoe Lane within the Green Belt.

It has access to the Horseshoe Lane road which provides

the main communication route to the school. The school

is anked to the north and east by other schools and their

playing elds. In the south, it borders on a residential area

[21], [22].

2. Functional and spatial solutions of the school.

The public zone is located in the north-western part of

the plot. It consists of two sports elds, parking spaces and

a drop-o area. The sports zone is dedicated for the school

and the local community. The main corpus is located in the

central part of the plot. It is separated from the car parks

and sports zone by a narrow buer zone. From the south,

it borders on intimate and quiet outdoor spaces. This is in

line with the need to ensure safety away from publicly lo-

cated areas [4].

The main entrance is located in the north-western part

of the building. In its close proximity, there is a hall/din-

ing room, which also provides a space for indoor sports.

The building is one-story, with a raised ceiling in the place

where the assembly hall is located. There is an adminis-

trative zone near the entrance area. The Secondary School

and Sixth Form educational clusters are organized along

one corridor. The classrooms, which are oriented to the

north-west, are almost directly adjacent to parking lots

and playing elds. Southeast-oriented classrooms are ad-

jacent to peaceful recreation areas. In total, 19 classrooms

have been designed in the school with direct access to pri-

vate gardens.

The sensory zones of the space are clearly indicated in

the layout of the building (Fig. 3). The western part with

the entrance zone and the sports hall is noisy, the middle

part with classrooms is isolated from the noisy zone by

a buer zone. The eastern part of the building with class-

rooms is located in a quiet zone and borders on a noisy

which is accessible from the external entrance area. The

college classrooms are accessed through an open central

courtyard and are located in the southernmost part of the

building. The school is a two-story school, rooms for stu-

dents with autism spectrum are located on the ground oor

– 12 classrooms, each for 7–9 students [3].

The sensory zones are clearly indicated in the layout of

the building (Fig. 2). The noisy zone of the building borders

on the noisy zone of the surroundings (north-west), simi-

larly with the determination of the boundaries of the quiet

zone (south-east) in the vicinity of single-family hous-

ing. The atrium and the corridor function as a transition

zone and buers between low-stimulus and high-stimulus

areas. This layout corresponds to the gradation of space

availability – the high-stimulus zone is located in the en-

trance zone and is open to the public. The low stimulus

zone is assigned to specic groups of students. The com-

munication system introduces a clear layout of the space.

The vertical curved line marks the internal communication

zone and connects all educational stages. The horizontal

line is public communication, which is a link between

the sports and recreation zone and the school complex.

Garston Manor School, Horseshoe Lane,

Hertfordshire, UK

1. General information.

Garston Manor School was built in 2014. The previous

school building was intended for demolition in 2013 due to

the low standard of use and no required area of the school

(shortage of 46%). The new one-story building was built

on a plot of 3.3 ha and has an area of 3007 m

. The school

has a capacity of 150 students, aged 11 to 16. All students

are certied as for “Learning Diculties, Autism and

Speech Language and Communication Needs”. Teaching

sta counts around 47 employees. The school is located in

Fig. 2. Oaklands School, author’s scheme based on source data [3], [20]

Il. 2. Szkoła Oaklands, autorski schemat na podstawie danych źródłowych [3], [20]

Analysis of functional and spatial solutions in selected centres 73

zone of the environment – a sports eld. In the transition

zone, administrative rooms have been located between the

hall and the clusters. The functional layout of the space is

related to the gradation of zone accessibility for third par-

ties. The communication system is simple. The horizontal

line denes the general communication zone, which turns

into internal communication of educational clusters.

Results

Two of the analyzed examples present a comprehen-

sive approach to education, they deal with educating stu-

dents at all educational stages without the need to change

the seat. After completing the individual stages, students

do not have to move to other schools and go through

a dicult adaptation process. The facility along with the

environment, teachers and school policies will positively

aect students’ sense of security.

The method of designing the functional and spatial

solutions of buildings is subordinated to sensory zoning.

In each building there is a clear division into a noisy zone

with a high stimulus intensity and a quiet zone with a low

stimulus intensity. The zones are not adjacent to each oth-

er and do not interpenetrate in any way. In one case, an

exception was noted. The conict occurs at Garston Man-

or School, where the noisy zone – the pitch is adjacent to

the educational cluster.

There is a transition zone between the zones described

above. It is provided in each of the described buildings. It

is an acoustic buer and indicates a change in the intensity

of the stimulus. In the analyzed examples, the noisy zone

is indicated as the rest of common access zone with a high

stimulus. The low-stimulus zone always occurs within

educational clusters, with the exception of clusters with

high-stimulus rooms – such a situation was noticed at the

Ysgol Plas Brondyryn school. The high-stimulus rooms

were concentrated in the middle wing, on the ground oor.

A simple communication system introduces a clear lay-

out of the building. The introduced sequencing of space

improves the waynding for students. The internal layout

of the space and the nishing material allows smooth move-

ment from one zone to another. The student’s journey be-

tween the drop-o area and the classroom should run with

minimal disturbance and distraction. There is no public

cloakroom in schools, students have their own independent

space with cloakrooms within the classrooms. This solution

allows using the gardens designed in front of the classrooms

anytime, without going through the public noisy zone.

Conclusions

The article describes the implementation of selected

design criteria in three accredited autism-friendly schools

(Table 1). The functional and spatial solutions of the built

environment in terms of the sensory quality of the space

can inuence student perception. Moreover, the design

of the transition zones is worth noting. In the mentioned

examples this space is used to separate high-stimulus

and low-stimulus zones. The functional-spatial arrange-

ment provides the availability of low- and high-stimulus

functions from a sensory-neutral space. The solution im-

proves the calibration of the senses and provides sensory

rest between activities with dierent stimuli intensities.

Waynding in the mentioned buildings causes minimal

Fig. 3. Garston Manor School, author’s scheme based on source data [4]

Il. 3. Szkoła Garston Manor, autorski schemat na podstawie danych źródłowych [4]

74 Klaudyna Mentel, Zbyszko Bujniewicz, Luís Miguel Moreira Pinto

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of the variability of the intensity of stimuli on the student’s

way. Architects in the design process should take into

account the dierent perceptions of people with autism.

These aspects aect the sense of security and support cog-

nitive mechanisms. The model of analysis of the collected

data presented as part of the preliminary study can be used

to develop the research method. It seems desirable to con-

tinue collecting and examining more objects in order to

obtain reliable data and extend the design criteria of the re-

search. Extensive scientic research will enable the devel-

opment of diagrams that can be a design tool for architects.

School Sensory demarcation Transitions zones Wayfinding

Ysgol Plas Tangible Courtyard Simple

Oaklands School Tangible Courtyard Medium

Garston School Tangible Administration Simple

Table 1. Summary of the functional and spatial evaluation of the analyzed objects in the category of sensory zoning

(elaborated by K. Mentel)

Tabela 1. Podsumowanie oceny funkcjonalno-przestrzennej analizowanych obiektów

(oprac. K. Mentel)

Analysis of functional and spatial solutions in selected centres 75

Abstract

Analysis of functional and spatial solutions in selected centres

accredited by the National Autistic Society

In Great Britain specialist centres best adapted to people with autism spectrum disorder are rated and accredited by the National Autistic Society.

The article presents Multiple Case Study research analyses and compares three building examples.

The subject of the research is the analysis of objects from the list that met the inclusion criteria or have been developed as part of the British

government programs to improve the quality of education. The research purpose was to analyse and compare the design criteria selected based on

literature research. The criteria also inuence the development of the functional and utility structure of the centres. Research has been carried out as

a “pilot study” and has been conducted using the expert method from the perspective of an architect and therapist of people with autism spectrum

disorder. The author has used pre-design studies, technical documentation, and photos as a source material.

The analysis revealed that the functional layout in the above-mentioned facilities was designed regarding the sensory gradation of space. The

high-stimulus zone and the low-stimulus zone are accessible from a transition zone that is sensory-neutral. Sensory zoning of the space is a guideline

for functional design.

The model of analysis of the collected data presented as part of the pilot study can be used to develop the research method. It seems advisable to

extend the list of design criteria and continue collecting data in order to obtain reliable results.

Key words: autism, case study, design, architecture

Streszczenie

Analiza rozwiązań funkcjonalno-przestrzennych w wybranych ośrodkach

akredytowanych przez National Autistic Society

W Wielkiej Brytanii specjalistyczne ośrodki najlepiej przystosowane dla osób ze spektrum autyzmu otrzymują akredytację stowarzyszenia Natio-

nal Autistic Society. W artykule przedstawiono badanie typu multiple case study wybranych przykładów takich ośrodków.

Przedmiotem badania były trzy obiekty z listy, które spełniły kryterium włączenia, zostały rozbudowane w ramach rządowych programów

podnoszenia jakości kształcenia. Celem badania była analiza i porównanie wybranych na podstawie badań literaturowych kryteriów projektowych

wpływających na kształtowanie struktury funkcjonalno-użytkowej ośrodków. Badanie ma charakter pilotażowy i zostało przeprowadzone metodą

ekspercką z perspektywy architekta i terapeuty osób z autyzmem. Wykorzystano materiały źródłowe; badania przedprojektowe, dokumentację tech-

niczną i zdjęcia.

Dzięki przeprowadzonej analizie wykazano, że układy funkcjonalne w wyżej wymienionych obiektach zostały zaprojektowane z uwzględnieniem

gradacji sensorycznej przestrzeni. Strefa o wysokim bodźcu i strefa o niskim bodźcu są dostępne ze strefy przejściowej, która jest neutralna senso-

rycznie. Strefowanie sensoryczne przestrzeni jest nadrzędne w stosunku do projektowania funkcjonalnego.

Model analizy zebranych danych przedstawiony w ramach badania pilotażowego może posłużyć do rozwijania metody badawczej. Celowe wy-

daje się rozszerzenie listy kryteriów projektowych i kontynuowanie zbierania danych w celu uzyskania miarodajnych wyników.

Słowa kluczowe: autyzm, studium przypadku, architektura, projektowanie