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BY BETHANY DELINE, BETHANY FRIEDOW, AND BRIAN GIEBINK
W
e live in a world where the public often judges architectural
merit on pure aesthetic. Architecture as an art undoubtedly
contributes to our cultural capital, and expertise within the
field is a valuable tool. Yet, great architectural design results not just
from the art associated with the aesthetic, but how well the building
supports its occupants.
When it comes to designing schools
for children with autism, art and expe-
rience are no longer enough. Even the
most well-meaning designer looking
to inspire creativity or foster positive
feelings must re-examine what it means
to be empathetic in design. In this
case, the best way to be empathetic
is to reduce assumptions and be as
open-minded as possible.
An empathetic person traditionally
may practice active listening, asking
questions, and looking to connect to
the feelings of another person. This all
makes sense in a situation where the
architect and the building’s users are
neuro-typical functioning individuals,
and the largest hurdles may be over-
come through discourse and further
clarification. When it comes to design-
ing for children with autism, we must
overcome communication challenges
while simultaneously accounting for the
fact that the child’s sensory experience
is vastly abstracted and magnified in
comparison to the neuro-typical adult.
White may become blinding; green
may become red; and a simple wall sign
may become the difference between a
successful and unsuccessful trip to the
bathroom. Between the communica-
tion barrier and differing experience
of the world all-together, achieving an
empathetic design must look to addi-
tional methods to cater to these users.
Spero Academy: A Case Study
in Empathetic Design
“If you think of the primary problem
of autism being understanding, coping
with, and responding to the sensory
environment, you can grasp the power
of architecture in their everyday lives,”
—Magda Mostafa, Associate Professor
of Design and Associate Chair of the
Department of Architecture at the
American University in Cairo.
Spero Academy, located in Min-
neapolis, Minnesota, provides a safe
space for students with autism to build
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