Studio 12

Designing with Neurodiversity: Housing solutions that embrace difference

Andrew Martel and Kirsten Day

Studio Description

This studio will investigate housing options for people on the autism spectrum. As the centre of gravity of Melbourne’s population shifts to the north and west, this area of the city has a critical shortage of appropriate housing options for people with disabilities, including those with autism. The studio will focus on a site in central Mernda that is being actively considered for development by the not-for-profit disability services provider, Araluen, and so the studio outcomes will need to respond to client expectations, meet all building and planning regulations, and be cost effective in terms of overall building size, number of apartments, building materials and construction method used. Most importantly, however, the internal design of the apartments must recognize the neurodiversity of the client group and respond to enhance the happiness and personal flourishing of the residents.

Studio Outcome

This studio uses a real site and project as a frame to explore and investigate optimum housing solutions for people on the autism spectrum, and people with intellectual disabilities more generally. The research component will focus on understanding the nature of disabilities like autism – including understanding positive behaviours as well as triggers to unsocial behaviour. In particular, the studio will examine how the built environment can contribute to the health, safety and well-being of people with disabilities. Like all involvement with people with disabilities, the key themes are choice, control, participation and inclusion. Appropriate housing is critical to allow people on the autism spectrum to contribute to their fullest extent to family and community life. At the end of the studio, students will have designed a mixed-use, mid-rise apartment complex which includes design features derived from their research that responds to the needs of this diverse group of residents.

Studio Leaders

Andrew is a lecturer in Architecture and Construction in the Faculty. He is a housing researcher specializing in housing for people with disabilities. His previous design studios have included 'We are not always perfect: designing and building the whole of life house' (2015), 'Designing the University for people with disabilities' (2017), 'The co-housing challenge: choice, control, participation, inclusion' (2018), and ‘Housing the Spectrum: Autism focused housing for the future’ (2019).

Kirsten is a lecturer in Architecture in the Faculty. She is a practicing architect with extensive experience in architecture and interiors. Prior to joining the University of Melbourne, she was Course Director of Interior Architecture at Swinburne, where she taught and managed the final year thesis program. In 2016 she organized the Future Housing Conference for Architecture Media Politics Society at Swinburne and was actively involved in their publications on housing including Global Dimensions in Housing – Approaches in Design and Theory from Europe to the Pacific Rim (2018); Housing Solutions through Design (2017); and From Conflict to Inclusion in Housing: Interaction of Communities, Residents and Activists (2017).

Readings & References

• Steele, K. and Ahrentzen, S. (2016), At home with autism: Designing housing for the spectrum, Policy Press, London, UK
• Vermeulen, P. (2015), Context blindness in autism spectrum disorder: Not using the forest to see the trees as trees, Focus on Autism and Other Development Disabilities, 30(3), pp.182-192
• Owen, C. and McCann, D. (2018), Transforming Home: Parent’s experiences of caring for children on the autism spectrum in Tasmania, Australia, Housing Studies, 33(5), pp.734-758
• Nagib, W. and Williams, A. (2017), Toward an autism-friendly home environment, Housing Studies, 32(2), pp.140-167
• Imrie, R. (2006), Accessible housing: Quality, disability, and design, Routledge, London, UK
• Coverdale, R. (2019), Insights abroad: Report for the Araluen board and management of site visits and learnings from European and British disability providers, Araluen

Schedule Mondays 12:00-15:00 and Thursdays 12:00-15:00 in MSD Room 241

Travel Mernda | Week 2

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