“Employment is one of the key routes to accessing income, which, in turn, is the pathway to many wellbeing factors, such as healthcare, self-care, nourishment, housing, mobility and security. Therefore, it is imperative that, as a society, we create an ecosystem that supports people through the employment life cycle.” 

As stated in the Designing for Neurodiversity report from Centric Lab and PLP Labs, commissioned by the British Council for Offices (BCO). The report adds that a significant part of this ecosystem is the office space, which still provides a key habitat for the execution of work. 

“This means creating physical spaces that are supportive of health and wellbeing, so that the office is a space where a wide variety of people can successfully complete their work.”

We talk to one of the report’s authors, Savannah Willits, team lead at PLP Labs – a design research collaborative, part of London-based PLP Architecture – about the role that colour can play in creating workplaces that are adapted to neurodiversity.

How do you define neurodiversity?

SW: In the report Designing for Neurodiversity, it’s defined as a movement and community that advocates for equitable inclusion in all aspects of society, including employment. A person cannot be diagnosed with neurodiversity; instead, it is an identifier they choose to use. 

Many who identify as neurodiverse have been diagnosed with a specific condition, such as autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, Tourette’s syndrome or any other diagnosis that includes a variation in how a person socialises, learns and attunes to their surroundings, regulates their mood, moves through an environment or processes sensory information. 

A significant principle of neurodiversity is the belief that it is not the pathology of the condition that causes barriers to societal inclusion or causes a disability; rather, it is the socio-cultural make-up of a society that is only equipped to support a small range of variability.

What role can colour play in creating a good office environment for the neurodiverse community?

SW: In our guidance for the BCO, we illustrate that colour is an important component of creating a calming, enabling office environment for the neurodiverse community. For instance, modest design with muted colours, rather than vivid colours, is helpful in mitigating sensory overload or sensory shut down. 

This extends to colours often found in nature (like greens or blues) which can be used to provide visual relief. In our study, we also found that the deliberate use of colours is also useful in wayfinding in the workplace. For example, it is helpful to colour code different floors, amenities or routes on building maps. This is because colours or design provide spaces with an easily recognisable identity.

How could colour in the office make the lives of the neurodiverse community more difficult?

SW: From talking to neurodiverse individuals, we found that colour can also be distracting or create visual noise. Vivid colours, bold patterns and sudden changes in colours can overwhelm and be disorienting. 

In particular, vivid colours, such as red, are known to appear very intense. In the report, we documented that over time, too much visual noise in offices, stemming from elements including colour, lighting, furniture, or layout, can be distracting or debilitating for neurodiverse individuals.

Were there any unexpected findings in relation to colour and neurodiversity?

SW: It’s important to remember that the environment has a different impact on all of us. In our study, we found that what may be calming and provide visual relief for one neurodiverse individual may visually aggravate another neurodiverse individual. 

The BCO recommendations come from a general understanding of how the environment, or more specifically, colour can help create a soothing environment, but is certainly not a catch-all solution. Therefore, flexibility and involvement of the neurodiverse community remain the foundation of ‘good’ neurodiversity design.