Changi Airport has unveiled its first sensory-friendly facility, the Calm Room, a purposefully designed space created to support neurodivergent travellers and their caregivers.
Travel can be overwhelming, especially for passengers with invisible disabilities and their caregivers. The Calm Room offers a quiet, soothing space for these passengers to help them manage sensory overload and travel-related stress before continuing their journeys.
Located in Terminal 2’s departure transit area, the new Calm Room that is over 200 square-metres in size, is the latest initiative under Changi Airport’s efforts to make travel more inclusive for all.
The Calm Room comprises three zones, each created to support different sensory needs and preferences. The welcome area features cubby holes for storage of luggage, prams and shoes, and a virtual Changi Experience Ambassador display, offering on-demand assistance to those who may need support.
The Forest
The Forest is an open-concept and immersive space featuring circular ‘biophilic windows’, which are calming visual projections of Singapore’s lush natural landscapes, designed to ease travel anxiety, to promote rest and reflection. These immersive displays are enhanced by gentle music and birdsong.
With thoughtfully designed nooks, The Forest balances privacy with visual openness. The Forest features seats of various scales to suit different rest positions and age groups, along with gentle dividers that offer a sense of privacy and comfort.
The Den
The Den is designed for individuals who find calm through movement. With softly-padded walls, floors, and seating surfaces, the space provides a safe environment for physical activity. It has open and enclosed settings, offering flexibility for rest or movement.
Users can freely lie down, roam around, or simply sit and play with the cushions in whatever way helps them regulate their senses. Free of sharp edges and hazards, this space offers a safe and carefree environment for engaging balance, spatial awareness, and body awareness — to help users unwind and regain calm at their own pace.
The Nest
The Nest features two soundproof rooms where neurodivergent travellers and their caregivers can find privacy and peace when things feel overwhelming. The ambience can be easily adjusted with colour-tuneable lighting, allowing users to create a soothing environment that matches their comfort level, creating a calming, personalised environment.
Changi Airport also engaged families of persons with invisible disabilities through interviews and user feedback sessions to ensure the space is both safe and comforting for neurodivergent individuals and their companions.
You can watch the Calm Room’s video here.
