Abacus Spatial Diagrams (ASD)

Project lead

Suzie Atwill

Summary

An ongoing research project addressing autism and interior design. 

The Abacus Spatial Diagrams project involved a a partnered studio between RMIT and Abacus Learning Centre for pre-school children on the autism spectrum, the resulting publication translates Abacus’s activities into spatial and temporal diagrams to translate into a brief for a new learning environment.

A deliberate strategy of this research has been to move away from framing autism as a disorder – as Autism Spectrum Disorder – and to rethink how we make sense of our surroundings. The International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers defines the role of the interior design practitioner as one who ‘determines the relationship of people to spaces based on psychological and physical parameters, to improve the quality of life’. This definition supports and encourages the positioning of interior design, as a practice of making relations, and thinking of the environment as a system of dynamic relations and ecologies. A roundtable discussion – Learning Lines – was held in December 2019 that brought together RMIT colleagues from Schools of Education and Architecture and Urban Design with potential industry partners to foster potential collaborations and develop future projects.

• Abacus Learning