Autism School in 24-26 Bridge End Leeds
The site is based at 24-28 Bridge End in Leeds. The design is aiming to make the location more involved with the city centre, not being isolated as it still has a part of the history of Leeds as it was built in the 19th Century. It is proposed the site will be renovated into a school for autistic children. This small specialist school will be directed at supporting children with autism between the ages of 4 and 11 under the name of Bridge End Specialist School. With a limit of 6 pupils firstly, this school aims to create a direct focus on developing the right learning technique for each student.
The movement around the building must be considered from the perspective of the autistic child. The design reflects the way the autistic children think. There must be a sense of the outdoor space being brought indoors.
Some spaces are paused to calm the children and encourage them to take time to transit to the next space and some of them have a feeling of motion.
‘Give time whenever possible, to acclimatise to change and don’t suddenly spring things onto the person.’
Wendy Lawson.
The entrance will be welcoming as the scale goes from large to small. The first area is unexpected as it will give them space and will let the child pause, so they will take their time to consider their own situation. They will then go through a narrow space with a netting to navigate which gives them motion and excitement and curiosity. They will not know what is coming next. They will then reach a pause space where they can relax. The child will be presented with a choice of going through a large rectangle box for a more confined feeling. They have a further choice of progressing up a climbing frame. The frame will have a similar effect to the netting, allowing them to adjust to the transition. A pause space will give the child a decision-making moment as they see the swings. This will build the confidence of the children in environments outside of the school. The child will have another choice between a large or smaller swing.
All of these spaces must have simplicity of purpose and be low stimulation in order to suit the users and help them gain the best teaching, learning and support possible throughout their time at Bridge End School. The design will depict the needs of the autistic children including spaces with sensory stimuli and structures to build their confidence and support their education.
Awarded for the best drawing of the year
Site response of what an autism child would feel around 24-26 Bridge End building in Leeds. Research part of the project( Animation video)
created by a group
The site is based at Dispensary Walk in Halifax. The design is aiming to make the location more involved with the city centre, not being isolated as it still has a part of the history of Halifax as it was built in the 19th Century, next to the Parish church. It is proposed the site will be renovated into a community centre for deaf people and individuals who want to learn British Sign Language and interact with the deaf community. This building will be directed at supporting Deaf people and hearing between variety of ages under the name of ‘Its Ear Institute’.
The movement around the building must be considered from the perspective of the Deaf people communication using BSL or SSE language. The design reflects the way how every building needs to be accessible. There must be sense of the outdoor space being brought indoors.