Keywords

1 Introduction

The Italian demographic scenario shows a constant decrease of new births against progressive aging of the population (Fig. 89.1), with important consequences on the social, health, economic, and productive structure of the country. Moreover, thanks to an increased diagnostic capacity, statistics show that these two age groups represent the segment of the population most exposed to disability. In 2019, there were about 3,150,000 disabled people, 5.2% of the population, of whom almost 1.5 million are over 75 (Blangiardo 2021). The number of disabled children is not insignificant, with a constant percentage increase over the years of 6% (Fig. 89.2). In the 2019/2020 school year, there were 283,856 disabled scholars, 3.5% of those enrolled (Istat 2020). In this scenario, a response is needed in the architectural sphere through the design of facilities that can meet the needs of the future population by designing residential, care, assistance, and rehabilitation facilities for disabled people. These environments include Snoezelen rooms or multisensory rooms that provide non-pharmacological therapy for people with severe and/or very severe multi-disabilities. Recent research has observed how multisensory stimulation generated within a Snoezelen environment on people with severe and/or very severe mental retardant has led to beneficial effects such as, for example, a reduction in aggressive and/or self-harming behavior (Lancioni et al. 2004).

Fig. 89.1
A multi-line graph of the population from the years 2022 to 2070. It plots one line with a decreasing trend at the top and 2 lines with a constant trend at the bottom.

Source Istat (2022)—Graphic elaboration by the authors

Population projection: years 2022–2070.

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Fig. 89.2
A multi-line graph of the scholars between 2005 and 2019. It plots a decreasing line and a constant line for the data in a foreign language at the top and bottom, respectively.

Source Istat (2020)—Graphic elaboration by the authors

Scholars with disabilities, the school year 2018/2019.

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An increase in the number of such environments would therefore lead to an increase in the number of people who could undertake rehabilitation. The design of care and rehabilitation environments requires an appropriate and careful choice of technologies and building products; in this context, recent studies (Demattè et al. 2018) have shown that wood environments can benefit people, thanks to the specific characteristics of the raw material; similarly, other studies have highlighted the potential of wood as an ideal material for the design of environments for the accommodation of dependent people (Camerin et al. 2020); furthermore, the effectiveness of wood in environments designed for people with autism spectrum disorder has been demonstrated (Venturini 2010).

The use of wood as a building material is therefore shown to be optimal for the creation of Snoezelen environments.

2 Organization and Research Methodology

The main objective of the research project “wood Snoezelen. Multisensory wooden environments for the care and rehabilitation of people with severe and very severe cognitive disabilities”, which was developed by Iuav University of Venice, is to contribute to research aimed at assisting people with severe and/or very severe intellectual disabilities by designing a Snoezelen environment. The project involves other Veneto territorial realities, namely (1) “La Nostra Famiglia”, based in Conegliano Veneto and Treviso, (2) I.S.R.A.A., based in Treviso, (3) “Progetto Legno Veneto” Consortium, the Regional Innovative Network Foresta Oro Veneto and the company Bozza S.r.l. The research project, which is under development, is developed through 6 phases (1) reconstruction of the state of the art related to intellectual disabilities, wooden environments, and Snoezelen rooms; (2) identification of the characteristics of a Snoezelen room, with particular reference to the use of wood as the prevalent material for its construction in an existing space; (3) identification of an unused room of a Veneto School Institute for the construction of the Snoezelen environment; (4) design of a prefabricated Snoezelen room with wooden structure; (5) creation of guidelines for the design and use of the Snoezelen room and an evaluation system of the Snoezelen approach; (6) construction of the Snoezelen room inside the previously identified school.

3 Snoezelen

The Snoezelen approach is a non-pharmacological therapy aimed mainly at severely and/or very severely disabled people, during which selective sensory stimulation is carried out, under the guidance of an expert operator, in one or more sensory domains, according to the needs of the individual. This approach is carried out in special adaptive spaces, called Snoezelen rooms, equipped with sensory instruments in which the amount, arrangement, and intensity of stimulation are controlled and modulated by the operator. The Snoezelen approach aims to find a balance between relaxation and activity within the multisensory environment. The combination of these two contrasting activities constitutes the term Snoezelen, which derives from the contraction of the Dutch verbs snufelen (to sniff) and doezelen (to doze), meaning, respectively, to explore and to rest. Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the Snoezelen approach, particularly concerning dementia (Strøm et. al. 2016), severe and complex disabilities (Glenn et. al. 1996), autism spectrum disorder (Germeau 1998), and special educational needs (Carter et. al. 2012). The Snoezelen approach originated in the Netherlands in the 1970s as a result of experimentation carried out by Ad Verheul and other Dutch occupational therapists at the De Hartenberg Center, the Haarendael Board, and the Piusoord Board. The first permanent Snoezelen Room was built in 1982 at the De Hartenberg Center; it was a significant event as it was the beginning of the dissemination and testing of the Snoezelen approach. Snoezelen rooms usually consist of two separate rooms: (1) the white room, the relaxation room equipped with bubble tubes, waterbed, soft seating, fiber optics, and projectors and (2) the dark room, within which the senses of touch, hearing, and proprioception are developed through different equipment such as tactile surfaces, sound and light projectors, and balance tools (Fig. 89.3).

Fig. 89.3
A graphical representation has various photographs, color gradient blocks, and shapes under columns and rows written in a foreign language.

Relationship between Snoezelen equipment and use of the senses—Graphic elaboration by the authors

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The Snoezelen method has spread mainly in Holland, Denmark, Canada, the United States, and Australia, where there are large Snoezelen room facilities made up of several rooms, such as, for example, the Lacey A. Collier Snoezelen Complex on the campus of the Escambia Westgate School in Pensacola, Florida. In Italy, this approach is still little known; in Italy, currently, there are only approximately 102 Snoezelen rooms in different types of structures such as RSAs, Day Care Centers, and Schools. Snoezelen rooms are unevenly distributed throughout Italy: mainly in Tuscany (18), Lombardy (17), and Veneto (15) followed by Piedmont (9) and Sicily (8), while the other Italian regions have less than 5, except for Basilicata which does not have any (Fig. 89.4.). The majority of Italian Snoezelen consists of a single room in which there is the coexistence of relaxation and exploration equipment.

Fig. 89.4
A stacked bar graph with data in a foreign language.

Snoezelen in Italy, last update 02/02/22—Graphic elaboration by the authors

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3.1 Snoezelen in the Schools

In Italy, the number of Snoezelen in schools is small; there are only 26: two in nursery schools, 23 in primary schools, and one in secondary schools. If compare the number of Italian schools—22,863 nursery schools, 16,840 primary schools, and 8048 secondary schools—with the number of Snoezelen, it is clear that the difference is quite remarkable (Fig. 89.5). The first Snoezelen located in an Italian school is at the Istituto Comprensivo “De Amicis” Primary School in Eraclea, Veneto, which opened in 2012 (Fig. 89.6). Specifically, there are only three Snoezelen rooms in schools in Veneto: in addition to Eraclea, the other two are the Collodi Primary School in Ceggia, which opened in 2014, and the XI Aprile 1848 Preschool in Castelnuovo del Garda, which opened in 2021 (Fig. 89.7). It is thought that the low number of Snoezelen in Italian educational institutions is caused by almost no knowledge of this approach, as evidenced by various newspaper headings and municipal administration websites that bear the words “the first Snoezelen room in a school” (GenoaMunicipality 2018) probably ignoring the existence of other rooms. Almost all Snoezelen rooms in Italian schools have been located in classrooms not used by the school, placing the usual catalog equipment inside them without thinking about possible solutions of architectural integration between the internal envelope and the equipment. Most of these are in a single, small room, where there is a coexistence of the relaxation area and the activity area.

Fig. 89.5
A pie chart and a table with circles of various sizes have data in a foreign language.

Snoezelen about schools by grade and level, last update 02/02/22—Graphic elaboration by the authors

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Fig. 89.6
A multi-line graph of the schools from 2012 to 2021 with data in a foreign language. It follows an increasing trend with fluctuations. There is also a table on the right with data in a foreign language.

Overview of Snoezelen in Italian schools and the year of the opening, last update 02/02/22—Graphic elaboration by the authors

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Fig. 89.7
A map plots several locations with pin symbols in different color gradients on the left. On the right are photos of three different styles of rooms with data in a foreign language.

Snoezelen in Veneto, last update 02/02/22—Graphic elaboration by the authors

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The Snoezelen rooms analyzed have in common what can be considered the basic equipment: bubble tubes, fiber optics, projectors, soft seating, ball pool, and soft play. One example is the case of the Istituto Comprensivo Alessio Narbone in Caltagirone, which has become a spokesman for the Snoezelen approach in schools throughout Italy by organizing the National Network of Snoezelen Schools.

The institute has a Snoezelen space of 150 square meters consisting of a sensory corridor, a white room, and a workshop for motor and manipulative activities. The Snoezelen space, inaugurated in 2016, is open to the territory and used by 10 other schools for a total of almost 80 students divided into 17 preschool students, 30 primary students, 18 secondary students, and 12 secondary students (Sestina 2020).

4 Project

The therapeutic quality of Snoezelen environments is significant and, if installed in schools, can become part of the long process of school inclusion as well as compensating for the scarce presence of systems for sensory disabilities in schools.

This research aims to design Snoezelen environments in educational institutions through the architectural integration between the internal envelope and Snoezelen equipment. The integration will be accomplished through the design of prefabricated wooden modules. Recent projects have shown how wood lends to the making of therapeutic-sensorial environments. There are two exemplary cases of wooden multisensory spaces in school buildings: (1) Noverca house by the architecture studio Atelier JQTS, which built a prefabricated wooden pavilion housing a multisensory space for disabled pupils at the Maria Veleda school; (2) classroom makeover for the blind by the architecture studio creative crews (Fig. 89.8), which designed a wooden multisensory room in line with the Pre-Braille Curricula for kindergarten children.

Fig. 89.8
A photograph of a room with a central table and several fixed animal toys, shapes, and structures on the walls on 3 sides.

Creative Crews, Classroom Makeover for The Blind, Pattaya, Thailand, 2018, credits: Mana and Friends, Ekkachan Eiamananwattana, Jirakit Panomphongphaisarn

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Wood can also be used to design sensory systems, of which “Dear Disaster” and “Sensorium” exhibition are two emblematic cases. “Dear Disaster” is a cabinet designed by Jenny Ekdhal to help victims of natural disasters recover from their traumatic experiences, while “Sensorium” is a temporary installation designed by Les M where the parametric wooden floor is able to move according to the pressures caused by the human body.

4.1 Advance Modular Wooden Components

The considered examples were fundamental for the design—which is still in progress—of the advanced modular wooden components, such as false wall, false ceilings, containing elements, and raised floor systems. The modules are designed to create a neutral room that can be customized as needed by the operator to adapt the room to the patient's therapeutic needs. Specifically, the false walls feature a micro-perforated, acoustic, and backlit acoustic panel in wood (Fig. 89.9). The backlighting and acoustics enable the operator to choose the combination of sounds and colors useful for individual therapy. In addition, the holes allow the installation of additional modules consisting of different surface finishes—smooth, rough, movable shingle, and wood skin—which the operator can choose according to tactile stimulation. The raised floor (Fig. 89.10), in addition to offering optimal acoustic performance and the passage of equipment, allows for the integration of Snoezelen equipment such as bubble tubes.

Fig. 89.9
A 3 D illustration of the wall modules with rectangular structures and perforated patterns. They have labels in a foreign language.

False wall modules—Graphic elaboration by the authors

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Fig. 89.10
A 3 D illustration of raised floor modules with various structures and patterns. They have labels in a foreign language.

Raised floor systems modules—Graphic elaboration by the authors

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The finishing layer also consists of different modules with multiple textures—bright and rough surfaces—and various sections that offer tactile, visual, and proprioceptive stimulation. Containing elements (Fig. 89.11) can also be placed on the floor to act as containers for the vibroacoustic waterbed and ball pool. The acoustic false ceiling (Fig. 89.12) allows for the integration of the lighting system, spotlights, hammocks, and ultraviolet. The components, dry-assembled, can generate different spatial configurations resulting in three predefined Snoezelen rooms having three different sizes: S (25 sqm), M (50 sqm), and L (100 sqm). The setup of these rooms and the modular components, illustrated in the guidelines, will be used by future stakeholders and designers as a basic tool for the making of the desired Snoezelen room.

Fig. 89.11
A 3 D illustration of three rectangular-shaped modules. They have labels in a foreign language.

Containing elements modules—Graphic elaboration by the authors

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Fig. 89.12
A 3 D illustration of the false ceiling modules in different shapes and structures. They have labels in a foreign language.

False ceiling modules—Graphic elaboration by the authors

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5 Conclusions

The research project aims to contribute to studies on environments for the rehabilitation of people with cognitive disabilities, in particular concerning the potential provided by the advanced prefabrication of wooden construction elements, components, and furniture. This objective will be achieved through the design and implementation of a Snoezelen room with wooden components in a school in Veneto, which will be able to open to the surrounding area. Moreover, guidelines for the design of Snoezelen rooms will be drawn up, so that other institutes can also make use of this type of inclusive structure and an assessment system to check the patient's therapeutic progress.