The ZenDen: How sensory design can enhance mental health and well-being
February 24, 2026
Sensory-enabled architecture isn’t just for hospitals. It’s for everyone. Designers created the pop-up ZenDen to research sensory rooms.
A version of this blog first appeared as “Exploring design for the senses in the ZenDen” in Design Quarterly, Issue 24.
When we design for multiple senses, we enhance well-being. That’s why we’re researching sensory design.
In sensory-enabled architecture (SEA), we design for human touch, scent, sound, and taste in immersive environments. We look at space from emotional, psychological, and cultural perspectives. We can use sensory design to promote mental health and well-being in many settings. Based on our explorations of SEA environments, we developed a pop-up prototype of a multisensory space called the ZenDen. We’re using the ZenDen to demonstrate SEA to users and collaborators.
We regularly design sensory environments as part of our mental and behavioral health practice. But it isn’t just healthcare spaces that need to support well-being. Our team also collaborates on sensory room design for spaces in the workplace, community development, and education.
Why are we interested in SEA?
Our experience in neuroinclusive design for behavioral health inspires our approach to SEA. In our sensory design, we design rooms that offer different levels and kinds of stimulation. Restorative multisensory spaces can offer people the space to self-regulate or take a mental health break. And we can apply SEA at various settings and price points.
As part of the ZenDen, the Cavern is a hypersensitive pod for stimuli-avoiding users. It lets them meditate and take their minds off their current stresses or engage in movement. It features darker, subdued colors. A woven, structural wool felt enclosure mitigates unwanted noise and provides a cloistering effect for users. Rocking furniture allows users to meet their kinetic movement needs.
Five key aspects of sensory-enabled architecture
- Research: Sensory design is informed by research. For example, Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory says that nature helps us recover our concentration. And Ulrich’s Stress Reduction Theory says that natural environments have psychological benefits. This helped with our development of the ZenDen.
- Refuge and safety: Multisensory design gives the user a sense of comfort and safety. How so? The materials, furniture, and arrangements in the space promote relaxation and reduce stress.
- Neuroinclusive: Sensory design is for everyone. It should be inclusive and accessible. It should consider and provide for a wide spectrum of sensory needs and preferences. The multisensory spaces we design cater to a range of hypersensitive and hyposensitive needs.
- Agency and autonomy: The sensory room is customizable for the user. Those in the room can control and customize their environment. This enhances the multisensory experience. It personalizes it. Users can tune the lighting (temperature and color) or adjust the soundscapes and olfactory stimuli (e.g., the smell of rain).
- Iterative and flexible design: SEA is experimental in nature. Therefore, it should be iterative and flexible. This allows for continuous improvement based on user feedback, changing needs, or evidence-based best practices. This allows us to adjust the design to fit the setting and application.
Starting with research
Recently, we explored using SEA for student mental health with our partners at the Department of Interior Architecture at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro (UNC Greensboro). We worked together for a sensory design study. We created a space informed by our experience designing with neurodiverse concerns. Our team turned an old office on campus into a psychologically safe and supportive environment. We designed it with various levels of stimuli and engagement.
With a small budget, we used a variety of interior design elements to create a new environment. The room included murals, wall-dividers, a water feature, and swing chair with tunable lighting and sound. We wanted to see if this could positively affect student mental health. Could attainable sensory design reduce stress and anxiety?
The Creekside environment transports users into a more natural environment to decompress. Comfortable seating allows for muscle relaxation. Brighter pastels and indirect lighting provide a refreshing environment for users to engage sensory inputs that meet their neurodiverse needs. Creekside features playful tactile devices, biophilic imagery, and a controllable light rope.
We surveyed an array of students on their experience. The research results were promising. They showed us that individuals appreciated the ability to tune their environmental lighting and sound to improve their mood and reduce their stress.
This experiment at UNC Greensboro was exciting and productive. It left us asking more questions about the possibilities for sensory design and multisensory environments. We assembled a collaborative team drawn from the education; health; and Visioning, Brands, and Experiences teams. We wanted to use our experience in sensory spaces and investigate further.
Next stop, The ZenDen?
We applied the fundamentals of SEA to develop the ZenDen, a prototype of a multisensory room. This portable, temporary environment is designed to support mental health and well-being through sensory engagement. It’s practical and easy to ship and deploy.
We designed the ZenDen to be a conversation starter and research tool to help us refine and implement sensory design in projects. It allows users to experience a sensory environment. It helps them visualize how they might set up sensory spaces in their own buildings.
The ZenDen has three sensory exhibits. Each provides a different multisensory environment. The first space relaxes hypersensitive occupants. It offers low light, calming sounds, and soothing scents. The second space stimulates and engages hypersensitive visitors. It has brighter lighting, projected nature scenes, and tactile features. The third space is the social spatial area. It allows for group interaction. It features various comfortable seating options.
The ZenDen debuted at txEDCON 2024 in San Antonio, Texas. We invited our partners in to experience it and chat about sensory environments. We used an online survey to gather feedback on this prototype design. We sought valuable insights that we could apply to our next version.
The ZenDen … allows users to experience a sensory environment. It helps them visualize how they might set up sensory spaces in their own buildings.
- Flexible elements: We selected elements that would support a flexible, multisensory environment. We can use a version of the ZenDen in a variety of spaces without a lot of construction.
- Custom enclosures: A woven, custom-fabricated set of cloisters—or pods—gives users a sense of privacy. We designed them to be acoustically and visually calming.
- Dynamic furniture: We chose furniture that will have behavioral health benefits. Rocker chairs are comfortable to sit in, but they also encourage movement.
- Interactive projection and lighting: Dynamic projections are used to help shape the sensory experience in the ZenDen. Users can adjust lighting as they wish.
- Olfactory activation: A scent diffuser behind a screen wall fills the space with a specific biophilic scent. The smell of rain (also known as petrichor) promotes relaxation.
- Tactile opportunities: We equipped the spaces with fidget devices. These provide relaxing tactile stimulation for users who relax by engaging their sense of touch.
Revelations and insights in sensory design
We teamed up with vendors such as EzoBoard, Mohawk, Smith Systems, Lonestar, and Pineapple to craft the ZenDen. We brought together a mix of off-the-shelf furniture solutions and custom-built pieces in the ZenDen.
With a limited budget and time, we built and furnished the sensory design exhibit in time for the conference. Local partners Joerios Construction and Indeco assisted. At this stage, we find that collaboration is key to executing complex sensory environments that support neuroinclusivity.
We’re just getting started with the ZenDen. We plan to continue research and gather more user feedback to refine and improve our sensory design. Not only will we refine and experiment with the design elements, but we will also develop more effective and detailed methods for gathering user feedback. Perhaps we can use longer-term installations and mix-method surveys and feedback in real-time.
Our SEA research has already led to sensory projects in a variety of settings. These include school systems, including the Austin Independent School District, community clinics, and even sports arenas.
The ZenDen can create calming spaces for students and teachers in K-12 schools. It also works in healthcare, offices, airports, and other spaces.
Where do we see the applications?
We can apply the multisensory design principles exhibited in the traveling ZenDen in various settings to support mental health and well-being.
The ZenDen can create calming spaces for students and teachers in K-12 schools. We can implement it in classrooms, counseling rooms, and other areas within schools. The ZenDen concept can extend to college and university campuses, including dormitories and study areas, to provide students with space to de-stress and self-regulate.
The sensory room is already emerging as a must-have in mental and behavioral health environments. But we envision wider applications. We could apply the ZenDen approach, or elements of it, in waiting rooms, exam rooms, and other healthcare spaces to help patients manage anxiety and stress.
Offices and corporate environments can benefit from sensory spaces to support employee well-being and productivity. These spaces can be used for relaxation, meditation, or focused work. Hotels, airports, stadiums, and other high-stress spaces can use SEA to enhance the experience of guests and travelers, providing them with calming and restorative spaces.
The ZenDen’s flexibility and scalability make it suitable for a wide range of settings. We can tailor it to the specific needs of different environments and user groups. For now, the ZenDen will serve as a prototype for future installations of multisensory spaces. We will use it as a research tool to discover what aspects of these spaces resonate with users.
Mental health and well-being are now primary considerations for educational spaces. As designers, we can play a major role in helping those across the sensory spectrum thrive in educational settings. Informed by evolving SEA principles, we can craft sensational spaces that enhance well-being.
Additional ZenDen design contributions by Nate Hawley, Keith Harley, Angus MacInnis, and Bridget Rice.
