Project Udaan: How Asian Paints and St+art India Are Designing Sensory-Safe Spaces for Neurodiverse Children

In a significant initiative championing inclusion and creative engagement, Asian Paints St+art Care—a joint endeavour by Asian Paints and the St+art India Foundation—has launched Project Udaan at Arpan Charitable Trust in Vadodara, a nonprofit educational institution committed to the care and development of children with neurodiversity. At the heart of Project Udaan is a powerful belief: inclusion begins with environment. Inspired by the metamorphosis of a butterfly, the school’s façade now carries a mural of one in mid-flight — a symbol of transformation, growth, and the beauty of every child’s journey. The pioneering sensory art and design intervention is specifically designed for children with conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, and down syndrome, offering environments that encourage sensory regulation, engagement, and self-expression.

“Our entire initiative with Asian Paints St+art Care on Project Udaan is about creating spaces that are not only interactive but also inclusive offering a fresh outlook towards neurodiversity in a meaningful and thoughtful way,” Amit Syngle, MD & CEO, Asian Paints told SheThePeople. 

Within the school premises, a common area has been reimagined into a multi-sensory environment. Designed to support emotional and cognitive well-being, the space incorporates tactile surfaces, pastel colour schemes to minimise visual strain, and interactive textures that promote sensory engagement. These materials are not just decorative, they are intentionally selected to encourage interaction while offering calm and stability. Surfaces act as tactile guides, pastel shades reduce glare, and dynamic textures support motor skill development and enhance spatial predictability.

How Asian Paints and St+art India Is Designing Sensory-Safe Spaces for Neurodiverse Children

Neurodivergent children have different sensory needs — some are sensitive to textures or sound, while others seek out sensory experiences to feel calm and focused. The materials and textures used in the interior spaces of Arpan, including Asian Paints’ products, help cater to this range of needs. The walls of the play area have been transformed and brought alive using Royale Play textures, pastel matte paints, Nilaya wallpapers, and cozy, pompom-textured surfaces that invite touch, exploration, and joy. In addition, cocoon-like structures have been created to serve as quiet decompression zones, providing emotional grounding for children who may feel overstimulated. These areas allow children to retreat and reset, reinforcing the space’s ability to adapt to individual needs.

The transformation of Arpan has made a profound impact on the school community. For the leadership, it has marked a turning point in how neurodivergent children experience their learning environment. Meera Jhala Rathore, Dean at Arpan Charitable Trust said, “Project Udaan has brought a transformative shift—not just in the physical environment, but in the spirit of our space. What was once an overlooked building is now a vibrant, interactive sanctuary that our children proudly call their own. The joy, ownership, and engagement we see in them today is a testament to how inclusive design can truly empower and uplift.” 

The transformation is a product of deep collaboration between artists, designers, educators, and the children themselves. Drawing on her own experience as an individual with autism, artist, Amrit Khurana introduced structured patterns and rhythmic textures that offer both familiarity and comfort. Her design extended beyond visual appeal. She helped shape intuitive spatial cues and wayfinding elements based on her own sense of safety, rhythm, and spatial awareness. Her counterpart, Anikesa Dhing, added her expertise in material contrasts to create surfaces that stimulate and soothe in equal measure. 

“Amrit brought a rare sensitivity rooted in her personal understanding of neurodiversity,” said Syngle. “Her use of repetition, colour palettes and textured elements added emotional depth to the space in an incredibly meaningful way.”

What makes Project Udaan truly special is that it wasn’t just created for the children — it was created with them. During a three-day workshop led by Siddhanth Shah, founder of Access For ALL, students got their hands messy — quite literally — with rollers, combs, and brushes, experimenting with paint, textures and tools to co-create their dream environment. Their inputs – from sensory responses and preferences, shaped every detail of the final design, making the project deeply personal. Project Udaan is envisioned not just as a one-time initiative, but as a scalable model for how sensory-friendly design can be integrated into educational spaces across India. It challenges traditional learning environments by demonstrating how colours, textures, and spatial planning can actively support comfort, engagement and emotional well-being among neurodiverse students.

“This project isn’t just about design,” Syngle added. “It’s about emotional security — how design can foster resilience through texture, pattern, and colour. That’s where the real transformation lies.”

Project Udaan also reflects the shared vision of Asian Paints St+art Care, the collaborative platform by Asian Paints and the St+art India Foundation, to make art and spaces more accessible, engaging, and inclusive. By moving beyond art as mere decoration, the project reimagines it as an interactive, sensory experience that creates familiarity and comfort for neurodivergent children. It encourages a rethinking of how everyday spaces, like schools, can be transformed through creative design, into intuitive, supportive environments. At its heart, Udaan upholds the principle of Space For All where design becomes a universal language that welcomes and includes all ways of experiencing the world.

Project Udaan also echoes Asian Paints' philosophy, “Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai’. This initiative is a natural progression: where the focus on homes now extends to learning spaces, inclusive environments, and the emotional health of communities. At Asian Paints, projects like this one mark a deeper shift in their approach—from creating beautiful homes to creating emotionally attuned environments that respond to individual needs. Udaan is a reminder that true beauty lies in purpose, and that design must engage the heart, not just the eyes.

“Every space, like every home, reflects the people who inhabit it,” said Syngle. “In spaces like these, it’s about celebrating the diversity of those who learn and grow within them.”

For Asian Paints and St+art India Foundation, this is just the beginning. Building on earlier projects under Asian Paints St+art Care, including art interventions in a children’s hospital and a school for the visually impaired, Project Udaan marks the next step in a larger vision: one where art and empathy come together to create spaces that care and bring unbridled joy to peoples’ lives.

And as the children at Arpan explore their new space, the message becomes clear: every child deserves a space that honours their pace, their story, their way of being. At its heart, Udaan transforms design into a language of belonging where every colour, texture, and wall tells a child: you matter, you belong, and this space was made for you.