Designing Mind-Friendly Environments

Exploring the impact of the built environment and design on people with a range of neurological experiences, including autism, dementia, dyslexia and dyspraxia, this comprehensive guide provides project commissioners, architects and designers with all the information and personal insight they need to design, create and build 'mind-friendly' environments for everyone.

Assimilating knowledge from medical, therapeutic, social and educational spheres, and using sensory integration theory, the book explores the connection between our minds and our surroundings and considers the impact of the environment on the senses, well-being and neurodiverse needs of people. The book shows how design adaptations to lighting, acoustics, temperature, surfaces, furniture and space can positively benefit the lives of everyone across a range of environments including workplaces, retail, sport and leisure, domestic, educational institutions, cultural and civic spaces, outdoor spaces and places of worship.

Universal in its approach and written by an experienced architect and inclusive design consultant, this book is essential reading for professionals in architecture and design, education, organisational psychology, business management and occupational therapy.

About the Author

Steve Maslin, Dip Arch, RIBA, FSI, NRAC has been a Chartered Architect since 1992 and NRAC registered Access Consultant since 2003. He leads on Inclusive Design consultancy within the company for whom he works providing design advice around people's needs. He is a Senior Fellow at the Schumacher Institute for Sustainable Systems, a committee member of the British Standards Institute, a public speaker, and has served as an Expert for the Design Council and the Building Research Establishment.