Trauma Informed Design (TID) emphasizes how a building’s design can impact the lives of those who have experienced trauma. It is based on the understanding that the environment can leave impressions on those who have been traumatized. With this understanding, TID assesses the range of these impressions as potential triggers for trauma-related behavioral response. From this position, TID can create spaces that support healing and minimize the potential for added stress.
The process of applying TID principles requires collaboration between the designer, user groups, and building owners; learning about current standards in design and process applications; and understanding how these standards can affect those who have experienced trauma. During the design of the Town of Gilbert’s Advocacy Center, TID expert and spatial psychologist Dak Kopec, PhD, analyzed the efficacy of the TID applications for trauma victims in the greater Phoenix area. Dr. Kopec found the existing TID standards were too general to address many of the specific needs of the users and visitors in this part of the country. Taking these standards as a foundation, Dr. Kopec created the SPACe model as a user-centric, flexible framework that bridges the gap between clinical practices and architectural design.
Key Elements of the SPACe Model
The SPACe model is founded on five core principles: Safety, Privacy, Accessibility, Control, and efficiency. The application of terms makes this evaluation model distinct from existing standards. Below, we outline what each element means and strategies to consider during design. The strategies are not an all-inclusive list but a few items to consider. To apply TID to a building, we recommend working with an expert with clinical and design expertise to apply the SPACe model and your designs.
1. (S)afety
- Definition: Incorporates physical protection and a sense of perceived safety, creating an environment that fosters comfort and reassurance. The spaces allow individuals to feel secure and at ease.
- Strategies:
> Physical safety – Eliminating hazards and maintaining clear escape routes.
> Perceived safety – Intentionally designing spaces to reduce fear and promote comfort. Examples include private seating areas and clear sightlines.
2. (P)rivacy
- Definition: Establishes visual, auditory, and olfactory barriers to minimize discomfort and reduce exposure to unpleasant sights, sounds, and smells, creating a more comfortable environment where individuals do not feel exposed.
- Strategies:
> Visual – Minimizing unwanted victim observation through screens, partitions, and strategic layouts.
> Auditory – Ensuring soundproof environments to protect conversations and dampen external sounds.
> Olfactory – Limiting unwanted scents through strategic placement of furnishings and providing spaces for personal hygiene.
3. (A)ccessibility
- Definition: Creates environments that are intuitive and user-friendly, prioritizing accessibility and inclusiveness to accommodate individuals with diverse abilities, needs, and preferences. Broadened beyond mobility to include cognitive ease, wayfinding, and simplified processes.
- Strategies:
> Physical mobility: Barrier-free paths and accommodations for a range of physical, cognitive, or neurodevelopmental disabilities.
> Wayfinding intuitive layouts that minimize the need for directions, supported by clear signage as a backup.
> Service access: Simplified procedures with clear next-steps that avoid re-traumatization.
4. (C)ontrol
- Definition: Empowers individuals to regain control over their environment, enabling them to tailor their surroundings to align with their needs, preferences, and comfort, fostering a greater sense of agency and well-being.
- Strategies:
> Movable and dynamic furniture such as swivel chairs, allowing for flexible privacy or social engagement.
> Environmental customization, such as adjustable lighting, movable plants, or alternate pathways.
5. (e)fficiency
- Definition: Considered secondary to user comfort but essential for ensuring the building’s cost-effectiveness and functionality. “(e)fficiency underpins the other SPACe components; by applying it to every element, we create a balance between user comfort, operational needs, and budget limitations.
- Strategies:
> Considering alternatives (tuck-in entries versus hallway entries), secondary supports (high back chairs versus walls), and compromises that meet most needs (movable wall panels or privacy screens).
> Ensure cost-effectiveness and maintain essential functionality to meet both user and business goals.
How the SPACe Model Differs from Traditional Applications
SPACe stands apart from other trauma-informed design models. Traditional TID practices focus on its core design principles for the entire building’s design. The SPACe model provides an iterative approach that tests each piece of furniture, and all finish materials within the building against the five core principles (Safety, Privacy, Accessibility, Control, and efficiency).
For example, a lobby will be designed differently than an interview room or patient area. The SPACe model considers not just individual rooms, but how they relate to one another—because how someone perceives the next space is often shaped by the space they just came from. By evaluating each area in context, the model supports a more inclusive, responsive design that considers the full spectrum of user experiences throughout the building.
Behavioral Insight and User Differentiation
While many traditional TID models take a one-size-fits-all approach, SPACe acknowledges that the needs differ between individuals in crisis (within 72 hours of trauma) and those navigating long-term trauma. For those experiencing recent trauma, spaces are evaluated to enable swift, tailored responses (for example, conducting a sexual assault exam to gather evidence). Exam rooms need to promote privacy and dignity, and allow for showering immediately after the exam. In the design of the Town of Gilbert’s Advocacy Center we designed the exam rooms so that the brighter task lighting was directed to the area the examiner needed while keeping the lighting dimmer around the victim’s eyes. We also included a shower in the adjacent bathroom.
For those experiencing long-term trauma, the model offers comprehensive designs focused on long-term strategies (such as rewiring the brain through meditative and contemplative). The Town of Gilbert’s Advocacy Center includes an outdoor counseling area along with a secondary waiting area should a person require a quieter setting. This more personalized, holistic approach provides more effective and compassionate support for individuals at every stage of their healing journey.
Operational Definitions of Key Elements
Unlike many high-level models, this approach offers operational definitions for each design element, making them actionable, measurable, and grounded in context. For instance, (S)afety includes both physical and perceived safety, along with clear escape routes in case a person experiences a trigger and needs to flee. Other models often stop at physical safety alone. Similarly, because scent can strongly influence emotional responses, we included it as a design consideration. As a result, privacy extends beyond just visual and auditory dimensions to include olfactory privacy—something rarely acknowledged in conventional models.
Integration of Clinical Standards
SPACe combines clinical psychology and neuroprocessing with design. It uses insights like emotional triggers and coping mechanisms to better understand behavior and trauma, which traditional methods may overgeneralize. This approach blends clinical and architectural standards to create spaces that meet practical needs while supporting emotional well-being, making them more healing, comforting, and inclusive.
Emphasis on Control and Personal Agency
While other models may explore themes of empowerment or autonomy, many often overlook the finer details of interactive elements central to the user experience. SPACe places a strong emphasis on user interaction with the environment. Small design choices like adjustable seating, moveable plants, and customizable lighting empower individuals, helping them regain a sense of control over their surroundings. By homing in on specifics, SPACe provides a deeper, more nuanced understanding of how control can elevate engagement and satisfaction, while promoting healing.
Comprehensive Accessibility
Accessibility now encompasses more than just mobility—it also includes cognitive and emotional ease to create a more inclusive and user-friendly experience. For example, simplifying processes and reducing unnecessary steps can help prevent re-traumatization for individuals who have experienced trauma. This approach goes beyond the standard ADA compliance, aiming to address a broader range of needs related to one’s ability to make decisions, have confidence in those decisions, and carry out those decisions effectively, providing a supportive environment.
(e)fficiency as an important consideration, but not a primary objective
In the SPACe Model, efficiency is secondary to the primary mission of creating a safe, welcoming, and user-focused environment. It emphasizes the importance of putting people first, ensuring every interaction feels thoughtful and considerate. By balancing practicality with genuine care, SPACe delivers functional solutions that foster trust and comfort, setting a new standard for user-centered design.
Implementation and Practical Applications
The SPACe Model can be applied to a variety of environments, from healthcare facilities to schools to offices. Its flexibility ensures that design decisions are tailored to meet the unique needs of each population, building, and specific spaces while prioritizing the comfort and well-being of the users.
Healthcare Facilities
- Safety: Evaluate layouts to minimize patient stress (e.g., clear escape routes and calming spaces for high-anxiety patients, family, and healthcare workers).
- Privacy: Ensure auditory and visual discretion in examination rooms and waiting areas.
- Accessibility: Design for diverse patient needs, including those with mobility, sensory, or cognitive impairments.
- Control: Allow patients to adjust their environment (e.g., dimming lights, repositioning seating).
- efficiency: Optimize workflows for both staff and patients without compromising care quality.
Educational Settings
- Safety: Provide designated safe zones for students in distress and offer alternate routes to avoid potential threats like bullying.
- Privacy: Provide quiet, private spaces for one-on-one counseling or decompression.
- Accessibility: Design classrooms for neurodiverse students and ensure wayfinding is intuitive.
- Control: Enable students to personalize learning spaces (e.g., adjustable desks, sensory-friendly materials).
- efficiency: Balance resource allocation between creating safe spaces and maintaining classroom functionality.
Correctional Facilities
- Safety: Ensure spaces reduce confrontation risk and promote de-escalation (e.g., clear sightlines, safe cell design).
- Privacy: Offer private areas for reflection or meetings with counselors or spiritual advisors.
- Accessibility: Accommodate inmates with disabilities or mental health needs.
- Control: Provide elements like adjustable furniture or personal items to restore agency.
- efficiency: Integrate trauma-informed design within operational constraints to enhance rehabilitation outcomes.
Shelters and Crisis Centers
- Safety: Use layouts that prevent bottlenecks and create a sense of security for victims.
- Privacy: Ensure auditory and visual privacy for confidential conversations or sleeping areas.
- Accessibility: Include features that accommodate individuals of varying physical and emotional capacities.
- Control: Empower users to modify their space (e.g., movable partitions, adjustable furnishings).
- efficiency: Maximize the use of limited resources to provide essential services without overcrowding.
Workplaces
- Safety: Design environments to reduce stress and promote physical well-being (e.g., ergonomic furniture, emergency exits).
- Privacy: Offer spaces for confidential discussions or solitary work.
- Accessibility: Ensure inclusivity for all employees, including those with physical or learning disabilities, or who are neurodivergent.
- Control: Allow employees to modify their workspace (e.g., height-adjustable desks, modular setups, and privacy rooms).
- efficiency: Foster collaboration and productivity without compromising personal comfort.
Value of the SPACe Model
The SPACe Model framework encourages collaboration, understanding, and purposeful design. By translating trauma-informed principles into practical, adaptable strategies, the model ensures that built environments evolve alongside the changing needs of survivors. Beyond shaping individual projects, SPACe strengthens communication between architects, designers, and stakeholders, promoting consensus for progressive, trauma-sensitive decisions. Continuous assessment keeps projects aligned with trauma-informed principles, ensuring each design choice—whether an arched wall for a sense of openness or an adjustable chair for personal control—has a meaningful impact.