A Reef Shaped by You: Building Your Own Sensory Environment
CalmReef translates the values and experiences of the previous project, CalmCave - interactive furniture for emotional restoration - into a more modular and adaptable approach, giving users the freedom to create their own sensory environments. The panels can be connected in different ways to create configurations suited to specific spaces and needs - from a sensory wall in an open-plan office, to a suspended dome above an armchair, acoustic lighting in a meeting room, or a smaller panel used as a desk divider.
The system is based on the geometry of the icosahedron, allowing different modules to connect and form diverse structures. This modularity enables users to create their own “landscape of experiences” - a personal “coral reef” shaped around their individual sensory needs. The modules can also be rearranged, moved and reused in different locations, making CalmReef particularly suitable for spaces that need to remain flexible and adapt to changing users, activities and environments.
Sensory regulation through slow-tech
CalmReef creates a space for stepping away from noise and stimulation. Each acoustic panel uses a sustainable material with high acoustic performance, helping reduce surrounding sound and create a sense of calm and separation. Once this quieter environment is established, gentle sensory stimulation helps users ground themselves and focus on the present moment. Three types of panels - acoustic, light and sensory - offer different ways to engage the senses through natural sounds, ambient light patterns, herbal scents, tactile cushions with varied textures and subtle airflow.
The system follows a slow-tech approach: instead of screens and complex digital interfaces that can increase cognitive load and overstimulation, CalmReef uses intuitive, haptic interactions embedded directly into the environment. Technology is designed to support rather than frustrate or exhaust the user, offering simple “just-in-place” interactions and automations that appear naturally where and when they are needed. This creates a safe, personalised space where users remain in control of which senses they engage and how much stimulation feels right for them.
Designed with and for neurodivergent users
CalmReef was developed in collaboration with neurodivergent adolescent patients from the Psychiatric Unit of University Hospital in Krakow, who actively participated in the co-creation process through research and workshops. Their experiences and insights shaped the first concepts, ensuring that the voices of neurodivergent users are heard and reflected in the design. While CalmReef responds to the specific needs of highly sensitive people, its benefits can be relevant to everyone. In an increasingly loud, fast and overstimulating world, we all sometimes need a moment to pause and reconnect with our senses. Thanks to its modularity and adaptable design, CalmReef can be integrated into diverse environments - from homes and offices to schools, hospitals and airports - wherever a moment of calm and sensory relief is needed. Its configurations can adapt to different spaces, users and purposes, making CalmReef a flexible tool for creating moments of pause wherever they are needed.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland under the Creative Industries Institute’s own programme: Rozwój Sektorów Kreatywnych.
