Vivere l'intimità: per una progettazione dellle diferenze sensoriali

«Nihil est in intellectu quod non fuerit prius in sensu», Tommaso D’Aquino says. «Nothing is in the intellect that was not first in the senses». This means that our way of existing, therefore of inhabiting this world, is originated thanks to the synergic action of a body that is mind and a mind that is body. Never as before, with the advent of Covid-19, we realize the importance of our physicality, of the real and concrete relationship that each of us develops during our existence. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, within a spectrum of symptoms ranging from mild to severe, characterized by perception and social communication impairments. Studies show how the dimension of intimacy in which autistics live can stimulate the advent of a design of private and public spaces that consciously takes into account this apparent fragility. For these reasons, an appropriate combination of choices has to be applied, after deduction of stereotypes or prejudices. This is possible through a careful research that deals with the use of the five senses, in addition to kinesthetic and proprioceptive perceptions which affect the ability to perceive the position and dynamics of body self-movements. A careful use of color takes into account an appropriate gradient of intensity and opacity, composing color palettes that prefer smooth combinations, minimizing contrasts and choosing shades ranging from green to blue, passing through shades of pale pink to coral and orange tones. The thermoacoustic insulation minimizes impulsive noises and helps to avoid dangerous situations of stress. The so-called phenomenon of synaesthesia, which consists of a simultaneous involvement of several senses, often leads to a perceptive overlapping. A non-malleable, cold or poorly sanitizable material can be a deterrent to contact. A skin of a person with autism spectrum disorder often finds it difficult to tolerate sensations due to contact with clothing, if it is too rough or with protruding seams. This is an extremely narrow range of aspects to be implemented, in view of a quality design of the domestic and public sphere, regardless of any perceptive alteration. An algorithm that could help to free the word diversity from discriminatory and limiting meanings. This matches the idea of the British anthropologist, sociologist and psychologist Gregory Bateson, according to whom «Wisdom is knowing how to accept differences without wanting to eliminate them».