Designing for Neurodiversity
Designing for Neurodiversity by Centric Lab and PLP Labs for the British Council of Offices (BCO) studies how we can create enabling workplaces for neurodivergent people, given health and place is inextricably linked. The report shows that poorly considered workplaces contribute to burnout and long-term unemployment among neurodivergent people, who make up 15–20% of the global population. One participant described an open-plan office as “a place my body could never fully relax,” illustrating how everyday environments can quietly erode health. By grounding its recommendations in evidence and lived experience, the study offers clear, practical strategies to create workplaces that genuinely support neurodivergent wellbeing.
1. Introduction
How can do we design enabling workspaces?
Neurodiversity is not just a term for describing a set of people, it is also a movement to encourage human rights.
Introduction to Neurodiversity
The term neurodiversity was coined in the late 1990s by Judy Singer, a sociologist who is on the autism spectrum herself, to describe conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and dyslexia.
Today, neurodiversity encapsulates conditions like: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD),Autism (ASD), Dyspraxia,Dyscalculia,Dyslexia,Tourette Syndrome,Mental Health
The neurodiversity movement is a social justice movement that ‘seeks civil rights, equality, respect and full societal inclusion for the neurodivergent’,
2. Health & Place
Our health is dependent on the places we inhabit; this includes the office space
Figure 1: shows how stressors can put neurodiverse people at risk of poor health as well as make their symptoms more acute if they do not get adequate support. It is important to note that this process would be the same for neurotypical people.
When a physical space is not designed to support health, it can be especially debilitating to neurodiverse people, to the point of developing burnout syndrome which can lead to chronic or long-term unemployment.
At every stage, there is potential for intervention, prevention and stopping the burnout spiral.
We recommend design strategies in the workplace for places, buildings, and spaces to enhance the health and well-being and experience of people who are neurodivergent.
Figure 2: shows how stressors can put neurodiverse people at risk of poor health as well as make their symptoms more acute if they do not get adequate support. It is important to note that this process would be the same for neurotypical people.
3. Strategies
1. Place-based neuro strategies
2. Building-based neuro strategies
3. Space-based neuro strategies
4. Conclusion + Credits
Thinking of the office space beyond employment, as part of a wide societal ecosystem, we can begin to shift the narrative from productivity to healing.
PLP Team
Centric Lab Team
Supporters
