Sign Language, Shared Landscapes: Reimagining Lavernock Battery for the BSL Festival
Neuroarchitecture and Inclusive Design
Rebecca Stinchcombe is a recent interior design graduate whose work focuses on inclusive, sustainable and human-centred environments. Her design philosophy is rooted in neuroarchitecture — the study of how built spaces affect our psychology and sensory experience.
Before moving into design, Rebecca worked within Ministry of Defence Policing, where she developed strong problem-solving, communication and collaborative leadership skills. These now feed directly into her creative practice. She is a Women in Property Student Award finalist and recipient of the ARUP Accommodation Award.
Her latest project — an intervention at the historic Lavernock Battery — brings together history, culture and sensory design.
Lavernock Battery: A New Stage for Deaf Culture
Lavernock in Wales is known as the site of Marconi’s first wireless transmission across open sea. In Rebecca’s reimagining, this coastal site becomes the host venue for the British Sign Language (BSL) Festival—a multi-day celebration of Deaf culture through performance and participation.
The site choice is deliberate. Lavernock Battery has a history rooted in communication breakthroughs. By turning that narrative towards BSL, the project honours and reframes the site’s legacy — replacing wireless signals with the visible, expressive language of the Deaf community. Connection here happens not through technology alone, but through shared space, body and movement.
Temporary Structures, Permanent Impact
At the heart of the proposal are temporary, biodegradable structures that echo both the rhythms of the landscape and the kinetic forms of BSL. These lightweight, modular pavilions—built using bamboo, bioplastic sheeting and textile membranes — are designed to be fully deconstructible and repurposable. The festival leaves no lasting mark on the historic site.
The forms appear to grow from the earth, organic in shape and orientation. Some evoke the arc of an open hand, others the movement of signed gestures made architectural. Together they create a network of interconnected spaces: open-air performance amphitheatres, sensory-rest zones, tactile art installations, and flexible workshop pods. Wide, level pathways and intuitive navigation provide barrier-free access, while visual cues and contrasting textures support wayfinding for neurodivergent and visually impaired visitors.
Sensory-Centric Design
Rebecca’s grounding in neuroarchitecture is most evident in her attention to sensory experience. Recognising that large-scale events can overwhelm, the festival design builds in moments of retreat and regulation. Soft, diffusive lighting tempers the coastal sun. Gentle soundscapes and tactile interventions offer grounding for those who find crowds or complex environments overstimulating.
Festival workshops embrace multisensory engagement, encouraging visitors to explore BSL through movement, sculpture, and collaborative art. Quiet zones with acoustic dampening allow space for individual processing. Performance spaces are arranged in the round — placing performers and audiences in direct, equal dialogue rather than the hierarchy of traditional theatre.
Global Reach
Events are broadcast globally, bridging physical distance for those unable to travel. This digital extension fosters cultural exchange and builds awareness and pride within and beyond the Deaf community.
What distinguishes the project is that accessibility is not an afterthought. It is foundational — woven through spatial layout, structural composition and programming at every level. Rebecca’s sensitivity to the diverse sensory needs of her audience enriches the festival atmosphere and models an approach that established design practices could learn from.
Beyond the Festival
The project responds to a real question: how can temporary cultural interventions meaningfully engage with site, history and community while advocating for more inclusive futures in design? Rebecca’s answer is quietly radical. By harnessing the way space feels, guides and remembers, she demonstrates that architecture and interior design can be vehicles for empowerment and pride.
She also runs a podcast exploring the psychological impact of built environments in small dwellings, continuing to push the dialogue around neuroarchitecture into accessible territory.
Connect With Rebecca Stinchcombe
Rebecca exemplifies the next wave of designers redefining what inclusive, sustainable and emotionally intelligent spaces can be. Follow her creative journey on Instagram at @stinch_studios_.
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