The Calm Room is an inclusive sensory space at Changi Airport Terminal 2, in Singapore. It is designed to serve a broadly neurodiverse community of travelers – most particularly those on the autism spectrum and older adults with dementia, who experience acute sensitivity to environmental visual and acoustic stimuli. It incorporates a range of rooms and sub-spaces that allow its users reprieve from the terminal: a type of space capable of causing extreme stress for neurodivergent people. It is designed not merely as a clinical facility, but as a new model of inclusive oasis: immersive and transporting, the design translates a sense of softness and comfort into its own refined aesthetic language. At the same time, it pioneers approaches of chromatherapy and the scientifically-documented calming power of natural imagery, through the invention of “biophilic windows” with views of Singapore’s forest landscape and an accompanying soundscape. The design was informed by months of intensive qualitative research, and has been examined through post-occupancy consultations and reviews by neurodiverse individuals and families. The impact of the Calm Room has also been the “viral” subject of social media videos and posts from those who have experienced it, placing Changi at the forefront of inclusive design for airports.

Photography: Chan Hao Ong