TeamUp — Spatial Design Research
In collaboration with architect Babette van Faassen, head architect of Studio van Faassen, I conducted a design-led research project for Save the Children Netherlands on the role of spatial design within psychosocial support programmes for children affected by conflict or forced migration.
For this project, I wrote an academic research publication exploring how spatial environments influence children on a neurological level. The research investigates how attention, stress and sensory stimuli interact in children who have experienced trauma, and how spatial design can either intensify or reduce distraction.
The study was developed in the context of TeamUp, a programme by Save the Children, UNICEF Netherlands and War Child that provides weekly sessions of play, sports and dance for children aged 6–18. Because these sessions often take place in temporary locations such as empty offices, gymnasiums or parking spaces, the physical environment plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of the programme.
Based on the research, a mobile spatial intervention is being developed that reduces overstimulation, improves concentration and supports facilitators during the sessions.
The project demonstrates how spatial design can contribute to humanitarian programmes at the intersection of architecture, neuroscience and social impact.
