Guest blogger, Inclusive Support Adviser at Sheffield Hallam University and member of the Network Rail Built Environment Access Panel (BEAP), Lucy Davies-Nind, shares the story behind the development of the university’s first Quiet Room. This is a dedicated space designed to provide a calm, low-stimulation environment where students and staff can go to take a break from sensory demands.
Drawing on her experience as an adviser, research into neuro-inclusive design and extensive consultation with staff and students, Lucy developed a design that aligns with the principles in BSI PAS 6463:2022 Design for the Mind – Neurodiversity and the Built Environment. Below, she reflects on how engaging with users can help create environments that are more inclusive for everyone.
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I work in Disabled Student Support at Sheffield Hallam University, a busy higher education institution with a diverse population of around 31,000 students and 4000 staff.
In 2018, I was involved in designing our first dedicated Quiet Room. We had some respite rooms and quieter areas, but there was no dedicated space where students or staff could retreat from the sensory demands of a busy university campus. My role was to develop the concept designs. At the time, I was also studying for a Higher Education Certificate in Interior Design, and several different influences shaped my approach.
As part of my studies, I had researched neuro-inclusive environments and spaces that promote wellbeing. For one project, I designed a play space with autistic children and their parents and carers in mind, considering all the senses equally. Designing for autism reinforced the principle that spaces designed to meet diverse sensory needs often create better environments for everyone.
I also drew on my own experience of being highly sensitive to my surroundings. I am, for example, acutely aware of how sound, texture, colour, smell, movement, lighting and pattern can create environments that disable and exclude, or spaces where people feel comfortable, confident and at ease.
Professionally, I had spent nine years supporting disabled students and discussing the adjustments they needed to study effectively. During those conversations, the need for somewhere quiet to retreat to when overwhelmed often came up.
An all-staff and student survey generated around 350 responses to each question and became the foundation for the design. The most valuable insights came from one open question:
“What would you like to have in a room that would help you relax if you were experiencing an episode of difficulty with your mental wellbeing?”
Three words appeared repeatedly:
- Quiet
- Comfort
- Privacy.
People also asked for adjustable, low-level lighting calming images of nature, and soft individual seating. These responses became the brief for the Quiet Room.
Translating research into design
My design approach is strongly influenced by biophilic design, using natural materials, forms and textures that have long been associated with psychological wellbeing.
My design concepts included:
- individual task lighting with user control
- naturalistic screening
- preserved moss wall art
- nature imagery printed onto wood
- pod-style seating and high-backed chairs
- easy-to-maintain planting
- muted warm greens, soft pinks and greys
- timber shelving and seating
- a calming blue mural on the curved wall.
The soft furnishings would absorb sound, while high-backed seating created a feeling of privacy and helped reduce surrounding distractions. Individual lamps allowed users to control their own lighting, recognising that sensory preferences differ from person to person.
Early Design Visual by Lucy Davies-Nind shows green walls, climbing plants and a wooden floor
In 2019, Sheffield Hallam University opened its dedicated Quiet Room, incorporating many of these original design ideas. The final space reflected strong collaboration across university teams-throughout the project.
What would I do differently?
Designing inclusive spaces should never be a solo exercise. Although I sought
The Quiet Room has soft grey carpet, a white book case and walls, and grey high-back chairs
feedback from our Disabled Staff Network and refined the designs accordingly, there are many things I would do differently. I would now involve a much wider range of people with both lived and professional experience of disability throughout every stage of the project. Inclusive design is always stronger when people are involved from the outset.
Today, I would also think much more carefully about hyposensitivity as well as hypersensitivity and how spaces can safely provide sensory stimulation for people who seek additional sensory input. And, while there is space for a wheelchair user in the room, the pod-style seating isn’t wheelchair accessible; now, I would consider more inclusive seating options.
A grey high-back chair and soft lighting offers a cocoon-like space in the Quiet Room at Sheffield Hallam Quiet Room
Feedback is that the Quiet Room has become a valued retreat for many neurodivergent people across the university. It is not perfect, but it demonstrates what can be achieved when research, consultation and collaboration shape the design process. More importantly, it represents an important step towards creating a more neuro-inclusive campus and a reminder that inclusive design is always a process of learning and continual improvement.
Need support
If you would like specialist advice on creating more inclusive and accessible environments, the Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE) offers a range of consultancy services, including access audits, design appraisals, inclusive design guidance, training and technical advice across the built environment. Email them at info@cae.org.uk or call 020 7822 8232.