“The Comfort Zone” is a multi-functional private club house for people who experience hypersensitivity. This project is filling a gap as there are currently no spaces designed for this demographic. The club house is hosted by 3 connected Georgian town houses in the historic George Square, Edinburgh.
The club house will include an exhibition space, food shop, pub and a silent lounge. The exhibition space would be open to the public to explain the hypersensitive experience, exhibit artists’ work which focuses on senses and encourages empathy. The food shop will be a small shop that sells essential food/home products. Two methods in which you can shop include an order collection point and a digital check in/out system which allows members to take items from the curated physical shop, skipping the usual shop tills. The pub will act as the main social space where members can eat and drink in a sensory manageable environment where orders can be made digitally to reduce busy movement. The silent lounge and private rooms are quiet spaces for members to sit and read, to take a break from excessive sensory stimulation.
Designing for hypersensitivity involves several design values which wouldn’t normally be considered: brightness/flickering of lights, proximity of people, smell, noise and visual stimulation (colour, patterns etc.).
The approach to adapting the site was also a key point in the concept. The new elements will sit separately to the old features, which are left in their raw material states. The separation is to respect the building and bring back its Georgian style which it has lost over the years.
