Conference Program

The paper presents the process that led to the construction in a primary school in Veneto of “Wood Snoezelen” – the first multisensory environment made of untreated wood for pupils with disabilities – and the following establishment of the start-up “SenseAble Wood”, aimed at designing and building these environments, that can help schools to become inclusive hubs for communities.

The most recent data about the Italian school population confirm a trend: due to the demographic decline, there has been a strong decrease in the number of school-age children (900,000 fewer from 2004 to 2024); in the next 8 years, the number of students will fall below 6 million (Il Sole 24 Ore). Given this scenario, a consequence will be an increase of available spaces in schools, which can be used for functions other than teaching, including therapeutic ones (WHO). At the same time, in recent years, the number of students with disabilities increased significantly, approximately 75,000 from 2018/2019 to 2023/2024, about 26% (ISTAT), a trend due to both the decrease in population and growing awareness of disabilities.

This scenario is the “Wood Snoezelen” project framework, which began in October 2021 with the research project 'Wood Snoezelen. Multisensory wooden environments for the care and rehabilitation of people with severe disabilities', co-funded by Università Iuav di Venezia, Consorzio Legno Veneto and Bozza S.r.l., aimed at the detailed design of a multisensory room for people with disabilities, neurodevelopmental disorders, SLDs, intellectual disabilities, rare genetic diseases and ADHD, with interior components – internal partitions, raised floors, false ceilings, furnishings – made entirely from untreated wood.

The project aimed to combine, for the first time, the “snoezelen” approach, which uses multisensory instruments for stimulation – bubble tubes, optical fibres, projectors, hammocks, tubs with coloured plastic balls, water beds – with an environment made of untreated wood, which, thanks to the release of substances called terpenes contained in the raw material, has a positive effect on mental and physical well-being and reduces heart rate and anxiety levels (CAI-CNR).

The research project led to the construction of the first “Wood Snoezelen” room at the “G. Marconi” primary school of the Istituto Comprensivo of Lozzo Atestino (Padua), inaugurated on Februray, 28^th 2025 and currently used, also by the local people, with the target to create a school that is not only more inclusive, but can also be a support for the community. At the same time, the continuous use of the room will make it possible to verify the effects of the combined approach of “snoezelen” equipment with a wooden environment, thanks to the ICF-based monitoring and evaluation forms developed in collaboration with the La Nostra Famiglia Association.

Given this scenario, and the interest concerning the “Wood Snoezelen” room, the project continues with the establishment of the start-up “SenseAble Wood”, which recently took part in the MIT and Start Hub incubation programmes, ranking first in the latter, with the aim of spreading environments that are high quality from both architectural and therapeutic point of view in schools.