AA Graduate Luísa Pires is a neurodivergent Architectural Assistant and multifaceted designer. In 2023, Luísa founded the Neurodiversity Architecture Network (NAN) after leading a workshop on neurodiversity as part of the New Standards series at the AA.

This week, Luísa was published on the RIBA, as part of their Neurodiversity Architecture Network blog. She discusses NAN's original aim to deliver its own mentoring programme for neurodivergents by neurodivergents, and how they recognised that mentoring schemes are already in place and need support. One of the schemes that Luísa mentions is Narrative Practice who provide mentoring sessions. Luísa speaks around work and workshops which NAN has led and its collaborations with designer Alex Bellamy from et.al home and the competition, Reimagining the Third Space, which they worked on with ADP Architecture. Luísa writes:

'NAN recognises the need for empathy and compassion when two people with very different experiences of the world come together to co-inhabit the same space - this is better known as the double empathy problem. NAN sets out to deliver nurturing awareness and intersectional understandings, sometimes through talks, and other times through connecting people, participating in competitions and mentoring and training.'

The full article can be read here, on the RIBA website.

Image: Photo from the AA series New Standards which took place in October 2022.