On Friday, 28 November 2025, the BeSENSHome research group will host the international workshop “Architecture and autism, shared spaces and sensory escape”. Participation in the event at the University of Trieste is possible in person or online (see registration below). The event brings together researchers, designers, educators, and professionals. To explore how built environments can become supportive, responsive, and inclusive – spaces that enable autonomy, well-being, and social connection.
At the heart of this discussion lies the BeSENSHome Interreg Italy-Austria project. This is a multidisciplinary initiative that aims to develop an intelligent sensory system capable of supporting neurodivergent people in their daily lives. The project analyses the environmental factors that may trigger stress – such as noise, light fluctuations, or thermal discomfort – and seeks architectural solutions to mitigate them.
It also investigates the adaptive and personalised redesign of spaces, ensuring that environments can flexibly respond to the sensory and emotional requirements of their users.
The conference programme reflects this vision through four thematic sessions:
- Sensory Room Experience,
- Design Thinking and User Engagement,
- BeSENSHome Results and BeSENSHome Technical Aspects.
Professor Giuseppina Scavuzzo (University of Trieste- Italy) and Professor Andrea Gasparella (Free University of Bolzano – Italy) will introduce the event. Keynote speech by Professor Magda Mostafa (The America University in Cairo – Egypt).
Presentations describing the importance of acoustic sensory perception in the use of spaces are planned. These include:
- Aural Diversity Toolkit: engaging communities for inclusive acoustic design’ by Jemma Jones and Chris Watkins (ARUP London – Great Britain)
- ‘Architectural soundscapes and autism: rethinking auditory accessibility’ by Professor Marco Caniato (University of Applied Science in Stuttgart – Germany )
- Dr. Federica Bettarello (University of Trieste – Italy)
Programme, registration link and further information available here:
Registration https://besenshome.units.it/internationalworkshop/
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