With our strategic partners, we have created The Working Brain - a dedicated research team made up of designers, academics, and practising researchers to investigate how the built environment affects mental health and neurodiversity.
Through data collection, peer-reviewed analysis, and strategic workshops, we generate insights that directly inform our design responses. This research is shared across our studio to shape more inclusive, evidence-based environments that raise awareness and drive meaningful change.
One of our key research projects explores how different sensory profiles, identified through a survey of over 1,100 knowledge workers, impact people’s experience of space. We found two dominant patterns: ‘Mellow until’ (bystander/avoider) and ‘Intense’ (sensor/avoider), which align with similar findings in children by our research mentor, Professor Winnie Dunn.
By designing with these insights in mind, we create workplaces that support cognitive and emotional well-being for everyone, not just the neurodiverse.