A Different Kind of Inclusion

Workplace inclusion is often addressed through policy, but physical design has just as much influence on whether people feel supported, and it’s often overlooked. Layout, acoustics, lighting, and materials all shape how people experience a space. For neurodivergent individuals, these factors can either support well-being or quietly work against it.

Research from HOK, including their 2025 Forward report and presentations at SXSW 2024, shows that designing with sensory needs in mind not only benefits a neurodiverse minority but also helps create conditions where everyone can do their best work.

But many offices still fall short in practice. Common distractions such as acoustic issues, temperature fluctuations, and uniform rows of desks reflect a standardised approach to design that often fails to support individual work styles and needs. A familiar example is half logs, where speech intelligibility drops for open-area Teams calls, as ambient noise and echo blur what’s being said.

At Clerkenwell Design Week 2025, Piers Roberts, an advocate for inclusive design, spoke about feeling invisible in environments that didn’t recognise difference. Dr Chris Arnold, an acoustics expert and former interior designer, described how constant low-level buzz and flickering lights can slowly erode energy and concentration — particularly for those who process the world a little differently.

The signs are easy to miss if they don’t affect you. But they add up. And unless we start paying attention, we’ll keep building workplaces that exclude people without meaning to.

Understanding Neurodiversity and the Invisible Science of Sensory Overload

Neurodiversity celebrates that there is no single way of thinking and processing information. It describes the range of cognitive differences that exist naturally within the population, including conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others. These variations are part of human diversity and reflect different ways of experiencing and interacting with the world. 

In professional settings, neurodivergent individuals may approach work differently from their peers. Many bring valuable skills, such as attention to detail and strong pattern recognition. At the same time, they may also encounter barriers in environments that are not designed with cognitive and sensory variation in mind.

We see this gap reflected in research. Studies examining lab design, where high levels of focus are essential, have found that neurodivergent individuals frequently face sensory strain in spaces built around environments that assume uniform working styles. 

This is partly due to how our brain filters sensory information. On average, we take in around 11 million sensory inputs every second, yet only process around 50 consciously. The rest are filtered out automatically in a process known as sensory gating. But that doesn’t work the same for everyone. For some, especially those with neurodivergent processing styles, the gate tends to be more open. As a result, background hums, overlapping conversations, bright lights and more are registered more intensely, leading to heightened fatigue and strain.

HOK’s Designing a Neurodiverse Workplace report shows how elements like lighting, acoustics, materials and spatial layout all contribute to how we process our environment, and how small changes can dramatically reduce strain. It’s about creating calmer, more considered spaces that allow everyone to focus, recharge and feel at ease.

When these factors are overlooked, the impact is felt more widely. Many people experience it through difficulty concentrating, rising tension, or simply feeling that comfort is not a priority in the workplace.

Since the pandemic, more organisations have begun to treat wellbeing as a fundamental part of workplace performance. Sensory comfort is now seen as essential to enabling people to do their best work. And once you start paying attention to these design choices, it’s clear that many of the old defaults were never as neutral or inclusive as they seemed.

Common Workplace Stressors

At Clerkenwell Design Week, the conversation moved beyond the five traditional senses to include proprioception (our sense of body awareness) and vestibular input (our sense of balance). These are just as fundamental to how we move through and interpret a space, yet they’re often overlooked in workplace design. When they’re supported, the result is an office that actively supports a wider sense of wellbeing, giving people the conditions to reach their full potential.

Dr Chris Arnold once challenged designers to stand quietly in an office with their eyes closed and listen. The exercise revealed just how much of the workplace soundscape we tend to ignore, from the clatter of keyboards to the coffee machine running in the background. These elements are rarely considered part of the design process, yet they shape how people feel and function throughout the day. 

Sensory triggers affect everyone, but for neurodivergent employees, these can be felt more intensely. Small, seemingly minor distractions accumulate over time, draining concentration and energy. Thoughtful design reduces these friction points, helping all employees work more effectively while giving neurodiverse colleagues the space to use their unique strengths.

Here are some of the most common culprits and how to neutralise them:

• Buzzing HVAC systems, corridor chatter, sudden noises
  – Introduce sound-masking systems, add acoustic panels, and designate quiet zones for focused work.
• Flickering lights, harsh brightness, no dimming options
  – Replace with flicker-free LEDs, provide task lighting, and offer adjustable brightness controls. 
• Inconsistent temperatures with no personal control
  – Give staff access to localised controls or create temperature-zoned areas within the office.
• Rigid layouts with nowhere to retreat or reset
  – Incorporate quiet rooms, flexible furniture layouts, and areas for movement or pacing.
• Cluttered visuals, confusing signage, harsh materials
  – Simplify signage, use softer finishes, and design clear visual pathways for more straightforward navigation.

Implementing these targeted changes can significantly reduce daily frustrations and sensory strain, allowing employees to spend less time managing discomfort and more time focusing on their tasks. Turning the office into a place that enables them to excel instead of somewhere they have to endure.

When those barriers are reduced, the qualities neurodivergent people often bring, such as innovative problem-solving and excellent focus, have the space to shine. When your employees feel confident and supported to work in ways that suit them, they are more likely to perform at a higher level and contribute their best ideas. Once we understand how sensory input affects employees, we can explore practical ways to design spaces that support a broad range of needs.

Designing for The Spectrum of Sensory Needs

According to Harvard Business Review, neurodiversity in the workplace should be embraced and viewed as a competitive advantage. Differently abled individuals often bring distinctive strengths such as advanced, high recall ability and innovative thinking. However, hiring neurodiverse talent is just the first step. Creating an environment that allows these skills to flourish is equally crucial.

Because everyone experiences their environment differently, workplaces need to accommodate a wide range of sensory preferences. Some people are more sensitive to light, noise and movement, and feel most comfortable in calmer, quieter areas. This might involve softer lighting, effective acoustic control, and minimal visual distractions. A well-designed quiet space could take many forms, such as an enclosed booth or a low-stimulus corner with warm tones. Google’s ‘Meditation Rooms’ area is a strong example, offering employees calming environments in soft lighting and comfortable seating, helping those who are prone to sensory overload stay balanced and engaged with their work.

Others find they work best with more activity around. They thrive in livelier areas with varied seating, natural light, textured materials, and maybe some background sound or movement to keep energy up. Offering a range of options benefits everyone, providing the freedom to choose environments that bring out the best in each employee. These needs are rarely static. Most people shift between solitude and collaboration depending on the task or their energy levels. A uniform office design risks holding people back, while diverse, adaptable spaces allow employees the choice to manage their needs in ways that suit them personally.

And this benefits everyone. Whether someone is neurodivergent or not, having a mix of spaces helps people manage focus, energy and comfort. It’s about making the workplace work better for more people, more of the time.

At Percussion Play’s new workplace, AXIS House addressed this through a mix of flexible spaces: open-plan areas with high tables and mobile whiteboards that encourage dynamic collaboration, height-adjustable sit/stand desks to support different working styles, and enclosed booths for private conversations or concentrated tasks. By offering this spectrum of environments, the office enables staff to choose the setting that best supports their work at any given time.

Designing for different sensory needs is the foundation. The next step is to integrate it into how people actually use the space. That’s where Environment-Based Work comes in. It’s a practical way of giving people more choice based on how they feel and what they need.

Rethinking the Workspace: Environment-Based Work

Environment-Based Work (EBW) builds on the foundations of Activity-Based Working (ABW), where ABW focuses on aligning spaces with specific tasks, like offering a meeting room for collaboration or a desk for concentrated work. EBW layers in sensory and cognitive considerations. 

It recognises that productivity isn’t dictated by the task alone, but also by the way our minds and bodies respond to our surroundings. In an EBW approach, employees choose where to work not just based on what they’re doing, but on how they feel and what kind of environment will best support them in the moment. 

For example:

• Someone feeling overstimulated might choose a low-stimulus area with warm, indirect lighting and acoustic controls.
• On days when they’re struggling to be creative, a brighter area with flexible furniture and accessible tools like whiteboards and varied stationery can be helpful to get ideas flowing.
• If they’re feeling energised and want to keep that momentum up by being around others, they may head to a semi-social space, where a bit of quiet background activity could help keep them moving, regardless of whether the task is collaborative.

This shift reflects a broader workplace evolution accelerated by the pandemic. Organisations are now prioritising wellbeing, autonomy and adaptability as key drivers for workplace performance. EBW supports all three by giving people genuine choice over their environment, and by recognising that sensory comfort is just as important as ergonomic comfort. 

Importantly, EBW is not about creating a separate ‘neurodivergent’ zone but more about embedding a spectrum of environments throughout the workplace so that everyone, regardless of role, personality or cognitive profile, can find a space that works for them at different times of the day.

 As discussed by Andrew Mawson at Clerkenwell Design Week, the most effective future workplace strategies will be data-informed and human-centred. EBW fits this vision by combining real-world behavioural insights (like how people naturally migrate between spaces) with intentional design choices that account for important aspects such as noise, temperature and movement.

EBW works for both full office redesigns and smaller updates. One global aviation firm partnered with AXIS House to bring EBW principles into their Surrey HQ, creating a range of spaces that supported different work modes and sensory needs. They introduced a focused, low-stimulus zone with enclosed booths for deep work; a bright, flexible breakout space with planting and dining areas for social connection; and a tiered seating area designed to energise team briefings and collaborative sessions. These zones were layered with brand elements and wellbeing features such as acoustic panels and biophilia, ensuring the environment felt both functional and welcoming.

The result was a clear boost in comfort and collaboration. Staff could move fluidly between environments that matched both their tasks and their state of mind, while visitors praised the space for feeling cohesive and adaptable.

And it doesn’t take a full fit-out to get started. A single corner, meeting room or underused area can be transformed with a mix of seating, softer lighting and simple zoning. When these changes are guided by real observation of employee needs rather than generic trends, they can lead to noticeable gains in the workplace.

From Pilot to Roll-out: Your Action Plan

Designing for neurodiversity in the workplace requires intention and careful planning. Whether you’re updating a single room or reconfiguring an entire floor, the most effective changes are those that are guided by evidence and the experiences of the people who use the space. Here are some essential considerations to help your organisation on its journey: 

• Start with conversations: Involve neurodivergent staff, designers and workplace strategists from the outset. Their lived experiences can highlight barriers that others may overlook.
• Run a sensory audit: Assess light, sound quality, temperature, textures, air flow and visual flow. These shape how people feel and function.
• Create a modular toolkit: Invest in modular elements like acoustic pods, soft lighting and ergonomic furniture to adapt spaces without major works. This might include height-adjustable desks, a choice of seating textures and access to tools such as noise-cancelling headsets, allowing the same space to meet different needs without major construction.
• Pilot an Environment-Based Work zone: Trial one area with clear sensory zoning: a low-stimulus space for deep focus, a collaborative zone with writable walls and brainstorming tools, or a calming corner with biophilia and softer light. Gather feedback from all your employees, especially those team members across the neurodiversity spectrum.
• Scale what works: Use feedback and observation to expand the design, keeping what boosts wellbeing and concentration, and adjusting anything that inadvertently creates barriers.
• Track what matters: Measure indicators that reflect human experience, such as self-reported focus quality, stress levels, and energy patterns, alongside space utilisation data. 

Neuroinclusive design is not a one-off project; it is a continuous process of tuning the workplace to the people in it. By aligning the physical space with both sensory and cognitive needs, you build an environment where all employees have the freedom to work in ways that let them perform at their best.

Designing with neurodiversity in mind is not optional; it is part of building the future of work.

Kirsten Lindsmith, an Autism Expert, put it simply:
“Autistic people are canaries in the coal mine. Our needs aren’t different – just more intense and specific.”

Designing for neurodiversity in the workplace is not about creating separate or “special” environments. It is about recognising that every employee, whether neurodivergent or neurotypical, benefits from spaces that reduce unnecessary friction, allowing people to work to their strengths. By tailoring design elements to the way humans process information, you remove barriers that have been normalised for too long.

This approach unlocks the full potential of diverse teams. When spaces are designed with inclusivity in mind, every corner of the office actively supports the work being done there, rather than just looking the part.

So ask yourself – does your workplace actively enable people to thrive, or have they simply learned to adapt to its shortcomings?

Get in touch to explore your next step. Whether it’s shaping a pilot zone, reviewing your current space, or building a clear roadmap, we’re here to help you move forward with confidence.