Better outcomes through inclusive design

Design standards are biased toward typical hearing listeners and fail to acknowledge that buildings are occupied by diverse populations. Inclusive design guidelines do exist, though they are often focused on architectural, life safety, and system technology requirements, providing very loose frameworks for acoustic design. This presentation will highlight several projects where the design was tailored to the needs of individuals who are hard of hearing, deaf, or who have audio processing disorder, or communities with autism spectrum disorder. A common theme amongst these projects is the need for transitional space, and to establish criteria that is more stringent than those assumed for otologically typical building users. More than typical environments, these spaces require extremely close coordination between architecture, acoustics, and audio-video systems to yield acceptable outcomes.