As the modern workplace evolves, welcoming hybrid flexibility and human-centred design, there’s a growing cultural understanding that where we work shapes not only how well we thrive, but how deeply we feel we belong.

With this shift comes the much-needed recognition of the necessity to create spaces that support our neurodivergent staff, students, and service users – individuals whose neurological development and function diverge from what is considered typical. Common forms of neurodivergence include Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, and Tourette’s Syndrome.

In the UK, approximately one in seven people are neurodivergent. For many, navigating traditional office or educational environments can present daily challenges, ranging from lighting sensitivities and difficulties with wayfinding in open-plan spaces to heightened anxiety in unpredictable or busy settings that evoke overstimulation. These barriers can limit full participation, engagement, and wellbeing, underscoring the urgent need for wider accessibility of inclusive and thoughtfully designed environments.

This article draws on insights from cross-team collaboration across our Contracts, Design, and Marketing teams, including valuable research and case study contributions that helped shape the narrative around the real-world challenges and opportunities in designing for neurodiversity. These collaborative processes reflect not only how we work but also the approaches and mindset that are embedded across the Showcase PSR team.

A study published in September 2024 by the University of Birkbeck found that “levels of wellbeing are worryingly low across neurodivergent workers,” with 78% of participants reporting that they often feel overwhelmed at work. The report highlights the need for organisations to better understand and address the specific challenges neurodivergent individuals face in the workplace.

Showcase PSR: Designing for Neurodiversity

When it comes to design, focus needs, heightened sensory responses, communication preferences, and emotional regulation are among the key considerations that help create truly inclusive learning and working environments.

At Showcase PSR, our extensive experience in designing for neurodiversity across healthcare, government, and education sectors informs every stage of our process. Our in-house designers prioritise inclusivity, crafting spaces where every end user can work comfortably, confidently, and productively.

Our design strategies include, but are not limited to:

• Neutral colour palettes to create a calming visual atmosphere

• Natural materials, such as wood textures and soft greys for a warm and soothing aesthetic

• Acoustic zones, including enclosed pods and dedicated quiet rooms, offering private, low-distraction spaces for those sensitive to noise or visual stimuli

• Flexible furniture solutions, such as height-adjustable desks and sit-stand attachments, supporting varied working preferences

• Ergonomic seating options, including footrests and kneeling stools, to enhance comfort and posture
• Supportive solutions, such as anti-fatigue floor mats to support physical wellbeing during prolonged standing

A key element of our approach is the provision of quiet, low-stimulation environments designed to reduce sensory overload and support focus, comfort, and overall wellbeing throughout group work, solo concentration, or private meetings. The Showcase PSR Team brings a deep understanding of the impact of materiality and sound, and applies this knowledge in collaboration with our extensive range of specialist suppliers. Together, we deliver calm, private spaces for individuals who find that overstimulation, noise, or visual distractions interfere with their work.

Meeting Needs, Not Trends: Inclusive Design in Practice

Understanding neurodiverse needs means recognising that neurodiverse individuals don’t just differ in how sensitive they are to their surroundings but also in the kinds of sensory input that affect them. For some, bright lights can feel overwhelming. Others might find background noise or certain textures challenging. Many benefit from predictable routines and clear spatial cues that help ease anxiety and improve focus. These differences aren’t problems to fix but signals that design must be adaptable and empathetic. It should offer individuals the freedom to shape spaces that truly engage and support them, allowing them to work and learn at their best.

Creating environments that respond to these needs means paying close attention to lighting and acoustics. Adjustable lighting options such as dimmable LEDs or access to natural light can ease visual discomfort. Quiet zones, sound-absorbing materials, and enclosed pods help reduce noise distractions and sensory overload, creating calm spaces where focus can flourish.

For all of us, colour and fabric choices can have a significant impact on how a space is experienced. However, some neurodivergent users may be even more sensitive to its affects. These elements influence mood, focus, and sensory comfort, making them essential considerations in inclusive design. While soft or neutral palettes often help reduce visual overstimulation, colour and texture can also be used to support orientation, routine, and a sense of safety. Chromatic flow, the intentional use of colour to guide movement, can help users intuitively navigate a space, offering a subtle but effective form of wayfinding. Shifts in flooring material, such as moving from carpet to a harder surface, can signal transitions between zones, while a rug in a reading corner can create a sense of containment and encourage focus. Screens and partitions also play an important role by subtly defining zones, reducing visual noise, and helping to create more focused environments.

Many neurodivergent people benefit from environments that are clear, consistent, and easy to interpret. Using colour and fabric purposefully helps reduce cognitive load and supports emotional regulation, making it easier to feel calm, comfortable, and in control.

Furniture as a Foundation for Inclusion

Furniture plays a central role in designing environments that support neurodivergent users, helping to foster comfort, autonomy, and inclusion. In public sector settings like schools, council buildings, and healthcare facilities, thoughtful choices can meaningfully improve daily experiences for both children and adults. From early years classrooms to community waiting areas, spaces that support movement, comfort, and a sense of safety contribute to engagement and overall wellbeing.

Large, high-occupancy rooms such as classrooms, waiting areas, and training spaces often present added challenges, particularly when individuals are expected to remain there for extended periods. Sensory overload, unpredictable noise, and limited personal space can heighten anxiety and reduce focus. Four-leg chairs with arms offer grounding and containment, while high-back or winged options provide visual separation and a greater sense of privacy. Including a range of seating types allows users to make choices based on sensory needs, comfort, or mood, supporting emotional regulation and making shared environments feel safer and more inclusive. This offers users their own area and a sense of inclusion, helping reduce feelings of exposure in open-plan or high-traffic areas. The ability to move or reposition these chairs further supports individual control and choice.

In busy healthcare reception areas, council waiting rooms, and group classrooms, ergonomic support is especially important. Footrests, kneeling stools, and anti-fatigue mats reduce physical discomfort during long periods of sitting or standing. These details support everyone, from staff to service users, and are particularly valuable for those who may struggle with posture or sensory processing.

Real-World Adaptations: Designing a Brief for Neurodiversity

When interpreting a brief for neurodiversity, our senior designer Jo Armley says: “When we’re working on a brief with neurodiversity in mind, it really comes down to understanding how people experience space, and being open to that changing the direction of the design. A lot of the time, things like the need for quiet, clarity, or even more choice don’t come through in the original spec. They show up later, when you talk to people, walk through the space, or start testing ideas.

That’s when inclusive design stops being just a theory and becomes something real. It’s about staying flexible, listening properly, and designing spaces that feel natural and intuitive for the people who actually use them, not just ticking a box.”

This approach has shaped much of our work across education, healthcare, government, and workplace settings. It’s a mindset that’s embedded from the earliest project stages, even during tendering. Hannah Johnston, Showcase PSR’s Senior Contracts Manager, notes that the Contracts team draw on early-stage thinking around how case studies and real-user challenges can inform practical, inclusive design responses:

“In the Contracts team, we often act as the bridge between the brief and the real world challenges our clients face. By bringing early insight from our processes, case studies, and vast industry knowledge into the conversation, and we ensure that inclusion is considered and embedded from day one.” These ideas are then developed and brought to life by our design team.

This approach has shaped much of our work across education, healthcare, government, and workplace settings. Take our recent project at London South Bank Technical College’s STEAM Centre, for example, where we delivered the full consultancy and furniture fit-out for over 10,000 square metres of specialist educational space. The final design was rooted in an understanding of neurodiverse user needs, incorporating features such as colour-zoned learning environments to support wayfinding and reduce sensory overload, ergonomic furniture to accommodate flexibility and physical comfort, and highly adaptable teaching and working zones to allow for different learning styles and levels of stimulation. Every design decision was made to promote clarity, comfort, and a sense of control, which are all key to creating inclusive and supportive spaces for neurodivergent users.

A Summary of Inclusive Design Principles

Designing for neurodiversity is not just about the form or features of furniture and spaces, but how they enable every individual to engage confidently, comfortably, and with clarity. In public sector environments where diverse needs intersect across education, healthcare, and government, thoughtful design creates spaces that welcome, support, and uplift neurodivergent users of all ages. When design listens and responds to these needs, it transforms everyday environments into places where everyone can thrive and feel a genuine sense of belonging.