Joan Love
About Joan Love
Joan Love is a senior lecturer and an artist who has experience of interior design in architectural practice. Her research explores autism-friendly design containing a special interest in spatial transitioning environments.
Joan became a Senior Lecturer and Level Coordinator on BA(Hons) Interior Architecture and Design in 2001. Joan’s tutoring draws heavily on design inspiration found in the overlap between fine art, sculpture, music, literature, film and the sensory experience of interior space.
Joan’s expertise is in the advancement of autism-friendly design assisting future professionals to shape responsive spatial environments. This is an ongoing pedagogic project, with eight local SEND schools and colleges. Joan is also a specialist consultant for Leeds City Council on their new build bespoke community accommodation for autistic adults.
She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2015), a Member of Interior Educators (2009), a Member of The Chartered Society of Designers (1988) and a Member of LSA Autism Research Lab (2019)
Current Teaching
BA(Hons) Interior Architecture + Design.
IAD4.1 Design Fundamentals:
Instruments + Tools. Drawing, Modelling, Digital.
IAD4.2 Sculpting Interior Space:
Concept, Materials + Making.
IAD4.4 Interiors Reinvented
Design Report: Research, Analysis, Innovation.
IAD4.5 Interiors Reinvented: Design
Imagination, Experimentation, Intuition, Creativity, Ambition, Individuality.
IAD6.5 Spaces Re-imagined: Design Culmination. Major Design Project Part Three
Research Interests
Joan believes that human-centred design is crucial when creating enabling, inclusive spaces. Current autism-friendly design research involves the cross-disciplinary inputs of a sensory integration practitioner and a positive behaviour analyst, to deepen knowledge about the needs of autistic users.
Joan’s research uncovers new information in the form of ‘10 spatial transitioning platforms’ relating to behaviour-informed design.
Joan has contributed towards The National Autistic Societies, Network Autism, Knowledge base, including an article on tips for creating autism friendly school environments.
Selected Publications
Journal articles (2)
- Love JS (2019), Studio teaching experiments - spatial transitioning for autism schools
https://doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-11-2018-0019
View Repository Record - Love JS (2018), SENSORY SPACES: SENSORY LEARNING - AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH TO EDUCATING OUR FUTURE DESIGNERS TO DESIGN AUTISM SCHOOLS.
https://doi.org/10.26687/archnet-ijar.v12i3.1704
View Repository Record
Artworks (3)
- Love JS (2012), Balance 1
- Love JS (2011), Homage to Muybridge
- Love JS (2010), The Autistic Brain
Chapters (1)
- Macdermott J; Appleyard G; Dixon P; Love JS (2012) Emotion, Emotion, Emotion the Spirit of Being Human. In: Rodgers P Interiors Education Futures. : Libri Publishing Ltd, pp. .
Conference proceedings (1)
- Love JS (2020) UNIVERSITY AS ENABLER FOR INCLUSION: THE CERAMICIST, THE TUTOR, THE STUDENT AND THE AUTISTIC ADULT. In: Experiential Design - Rethinking relations between people, objects and environments. Florida State University, USA 16/01/2020 00:00:00. USA: AMPS C.I.O., pp. 19-34.
View Repository Record
Exhibitions (1)
- Love J. Too Much Information (2019), 12/10/2019-11/01/2020
Internet publications (1)
- Love J (2019), How autism-friendly architecture can change autistic children's lives.
Other (2)
- Love J (2019), Autism-friendly design recommendations incorporated into 'The National Autistic Societies' knowledge base.
- Love J (2019), Autism & Behavioural Design: Inter-Disciplinary Knowledge Sharing Session.
Blog Articles
- Autism-Friendly Design: Learning about Real Life through the Virtual Environment
- Autism & Behavioural Design: Inter-Disciplinary Knowledge Sharing Session.
- Autism-friendly design recommendations incorporated into ‘The National Autistic Societies’ knowledge base
- Interior Architecture Alumni
- Our Interior Architecture Students are Learning from Practising Architects and Interior Designers
- More news from Interior Architecture alumni
- Meet our BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design Staff Team