Schools are a place of special significance in the formative development of children. We are currently working on a number of very interesting educational projects for local schools. A few of these projects involve additional accommodation for primary and post primary school specialist accommodation/Special Educational Needs. Many of the children who will use and benefit from this accommodation have autism.

Some students with special needs have a combination of social and sensory difficulties and we are working closely with the school authorities to design spaces that make it easier for children to negotiate the built environment. We are very interested in exploring the potential of each school setting and are working on creative solutions to providing this additional accommodation. Some of these projects are for main stream schools and it is important that this new accommodation is provided in an inclusive and integrated way.

Many of the challenges that children with special needs have include, sensory mixing, disorientation and co-ordination difficulties*. By taking account of this in our design proposals, we are developing schemes that will enhance the learning experience and positively influence children’s social and academic development.

* Reference Aldo Goes to Primary School – Experiencing Primary School Through the Lens of the Autistic Spectrum, McNally Morris Architects in Association with Architecture at Queens University