IV Center for Exceptional Children School

With HMC Architects

A school for exceptional children includes those with a range of sensory, cognitive and motor abilities. Design development considered the special needs of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, developmental delay, and multiple cognitive and motor disabilities.

Interviews, observations, and consultations with special education practitioners and researcher experts revealed that many design solutions typically proposed for special needs were not founded on rigorous evidence.

Therefore, design was developed to include a number of innovations to better serve the varied needs of the students. A sensory pathway was created in the core of the building to orient children to their environment and to support learning and socializing. A secondary pathway was built to allow for quiet spaces separate from movement spaces.