Cognition in Architecture: A Residential Design Prototype for the Autistic User

Abstract

Creating a connection between a person and space by designing a space around the minds of its inhabitants is one of the most powerful things architecture can do. There is great potential to address the human mind and body through design, and for experiential design to calm the senses before sensory malfunction occurs in a person with autism. This thesis responds to the need for more human-centric architecture by proposing a set of residential design guidelines for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and implementing the set of guidelines into a group home for people on the autism spectrum via historic renovation of a house in Burlingame, Oregon. The research conducted for this thesis will use both qualitative and quantitative methods for gathering information regarding how to best address autism hypersensitivies in a residential setting. Literature on how architecture can integrate psychology and neuroscience will be an additional resource for this proposal. Special education schools, programs, teachers, and researchers that are knowledgeable in the area of the specialized form of sensory stimulation that autism necessitates will be used as references in building this proposal. The group home will be a healthy and holistic sensory experience that synthesizes the acoustic, thermal, and optical determinants of space through built form and generates income for the residents through a live/work setting of harvesting crops and microgreens for local restaurants.