22nd April 2025 | IN INDUSTRY NEWS & BUSINESS | BY SBIDKarndean Commercial, a trusted supplier of luxury vinyl flooring, is set to showcase the power of inclusive design at Clerkenwell Design Week 2025 with its immersive installation, Designing for the Senses. This thought-provoking exhibit will highlight how neurodiverse design can create environments that cater to a wide range of cognitive and sensory needs.
The UK’s leading design festival, to be held in London’s famous design district on 20-22 May, CDW25 is a must attend event in the industry’s annual calendar and is set to feature the latest design developments, leading brands and emerging talent.
Renowned for its design innovation, Karndean Commercial will be demonstrating how their portfolio of products can support a more inclusive built environment. through a thought provoking installation at its Clerkenwell Green showroom. Featuring a blend of quiet relaxing neutrals and bold stimulating patterns supporting neurodivergent individuals experiencing hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity respectively, the installation demonstrates how designing for the senses can celebrate difference and improve lived experience for everyone.
Richard Allen, commercial sales director at Karndean Commercial, said: “One in seven people in the UK identify as neurodivergent and experience the world in ways that can vary greatly from neurotypical individuals. Neurodiverse conditions include autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In addition, an increasing number of people are living with neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
“As designers of the built environment, shaping people’s day to day experiences, we have a responsibility to ensure that all users feel comfortable through the creation of inclusive environments where those who experience and process the world differently are recognised and where every individual will feel comfortable. Hypersensitive and hyposensitive design are essential considerations in creating neuro-inclusive environments that cater to individuals with different sensory processing needs, creating environments that benefit the wellbeing of everyone.”
The British Standards Institution introduced guidelines for designing inclusive environments in 2022. PAS 6463 Design for the Mind: Neurodiversity and the Built Environment Through the Different Elements of Sensory Perception presents detailed guidance on how to accommodate for neurodiverse needs through the consideration of sensory needs, from lighting and acoustics to thermal comfort and wayfinding.
Flooring is one of the largest continuous surfaces in a space so its design and material choices can play a pivotal role in creating neuro-inclusive environments. Karndean flooring is designed to authentically reproduce the natural beauty of the world’s most precious woods and stones and so is ideal for creating a biophilic look to complement either calming or stimulating interiors, but without the time consuming maintenance requirements of natural materials.
Karndean’s RIBA approved CPD seminar, Designing Neuro-Inclusive Environments with Flooring, investigates how neurodiversity and neurodegenerative conditions can be accommodated in the built environment by catering to various sensory and neurological processing differences. The key topics covered by the seminar include the British Standards Institution guidelines PAS 6463 and its implications for architecture and interior design, how a selection of real life projects puts this theory into practice and how neuro-inclusive spaces can support the latest fire safety regulations and facilitate evacuation in an emergency situation.
Richard Allen explained: “We’ll be running a taster of our latest RIBA approved CPD seminar during this year’s CDW festival. The session is ideal for anyone looking to understand how individuals with neurodiversity conditions experience interiors and learn how to create thoughtful spaces that allow everyone to thrive.
“Having attended the seminar, designers and specifiers will be able to confidently consult with neurodiverse user groups and stakeholder communities, learn about their lived experience and so fully involve them in the design process, resulting in a superior outcome. We are already taking bookings for our neurodiversity CPD and encourage you to secure your place early, as we expect high demand following this year’s festival”
Karndean Commercial’s Clerkenwell Green showroom will be open throughout CDW25, 20-22 May. Visitors will be able to explore the flexibility of Karndean flooring and meet with dedicated commercial specification managers. Register for your pass at clerkenwelldesignweek.com
To find out more and register your interest for the Designing Neuro-Inclusive Environments seminar visit karndean.com/cpd.
About Karndean Designflooring
Karndean is a global supplier of commercial and residential luxury vinyl tile flooring. We’re an industry leader in flooring design, offering a wide range of colours, textures and finishes, helping you create unique looks that are both stylish and practical; guaranteed to last. We see flooring differently. We travel the world in our quest to bring you exceptional floors that inspire and delight. From the ancient forests of Europe, to the remote Australian outback, we seek out expressive and intriguing forms in the natural world to influence our unique floor designs. By combining original features with cutting edge design, we create beautiful floors that bring your vision to life and take our clients on an endless journey of design discovery.
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