Sensory Room Door

What We Did

Gilling Dod Architects have designed the Sensory Room Door as part of the 2020 Kingsway Collaboration Project.

Through our own brief, we wanted to design a door for Autism, a specialism that is often overlooked in terms of pathway specific design. 

We recognise the need for more specific autism-friendly design through our knowledge gained on previous projects.  Hence, we wanted to provide an option that allows designers to specify a product specifically for Autism, without the need to adapt a regular product...

...and so the Sensory Room Door was born.

Designed in a recessed curved setting, the door set incorporates a seat in the curve allowing the user to observe the wider corridor, offering a place to pause before moving into or away from the Sensory Room.

The curved shape helps to humanise the space and removes the harshness of 90 degree corners.  Whilst the alcove serves as a transition zone between the rest of the building and the Sensory Room.

Acoustic panels are set within the alcove and on the door leaf.  These 3-dimensional panels provide a tactile surface to both sides of the door. 

Signage depicts an image of inside the Sensory Room, together with a description in braille.