BESENSHOME AND THE SPATIAL DIMENSION: ARCHITECTURAL STRATEGIES FOR SENSORY INCLUSION

In contemporary architectural research, the relationship between space, perception, and sensory diversity is central to design theory, environmental psychology, and neurodiversity studies. The BeSENSHome project (2023–2026), building on the earlier SENSHome initiative (2019–2022), explores how architecture can support sensory inclusion through adaptive environments, participatory processes, and smart technologies. Working with young adults on the autism spectrum, the researcher investigates how spatial affordances can regulate sensory balance and foster well-being. The project combines architectural experimentation with “smartboxes” that monitor environmental parameters such as light, sound, and air quality. Through co-design workshops My Box and My Spot, participants created prototypes and spatial scenarios, later realized as three “Refuge Spaces,” each demonstrating strategies of comfort, protection, and personalization. These spaces mediate between overstimulating and calming environments, creating sensory refuges in public settings such as museums, airports, and libraries. The project proposes an expanded vision of inclusive design, integrating environmental and artificial intelligence with emotional intelligence. By treating the built environment as a living system that learns from its users, it positions architecture as an active agent of sensory well-being and inclusion.