From De‑Escalation to Reintegration: Inside a Sensory Room Designed for Elementary Students

^{Terrain II LVT plays an active role in sensory room designs at Homestead Elementary School in Anchorage, Alaska.}

^{Article written by: Caleb Struchtemeyer, Senior Content Marketing Specialist | Published by Shaw Contract}

From De‑Escalation to Reintegration: A Sensory‑Informed Design Approach to Elementary Learning

When learning environments support emotional regulation, students are better equipped to learn, grow and rejoin their communities. 

At Homestead Elementary School in Eagle River, Alaska, Shaw Contract partnered with the Anchorage School District to transform a former classroom into a sensory‑informed support environment designed to help elementary students regulate emotions and successfully return to learning. Rather than creating a single, isolated sensory room, the project establishes a deliberate progression of four interconnected spaces, each supporting students at different stages of regulation and reintegration.

Originally constructed in 1972, the school had not undergone a comprehensive interior update in many years. Carpet was last replaced in 2005, while other elements, including wallpapered tackboards, chalkboards and partition walls, remained from earlier construction phases. Although some walls had been updated to the district’s standard white, aging finishes and outdated materials no longer supported the functional and emotional needs of students.

“Homestead Elementary was built in 1972, and many of the finishes in these rooms had remained in place for decades,” said Kailey Miranda, Major Maintenance Project Manager for the Anchorage School District. “This project gave us the opportunity to replace aging materials with solutions that better support today’s students while also meeting the durability and maintenance needs of the district.”

District leadership identified an opportunity to rethink how space, materiality and sensory input could better support student well‑being while aligning with operational realities.

Why Sensory‑Informed Spaces Matter in Elementary Education

For educators at Homestead Elementary, emotional regulation is a learned skill that requires daily practice and support. District staff emphasized the importance of creating spaces that help students calm their bodies and minds without removing them from their school community or creating stigma.

These spaces are used not only by students with documented sensory needs, but by any child experiencing a difficult moment. By positioning sensory support as a normal, integrated part of the school environment, educators reinforce the idea that all students benefit from tools that support emotional awareness and self‑regulation.

“Success in these spaces means students are able to enter, meet a sensory need and return to their classroom ready to learn,” said Tarlesha Wayne, Sr. Director of Special Education: Compliance & Operations for the Anchorage School District. “When that happens consistently in

a short amount of time, it supports both academic progress and emotional regulation without removing students from their school community.”

Material Selection for Sensory and Operational Needs

Given Alaska’s extreme climate and the realities of daily school use, the design team prioritized materials that could withstand temperature fluctuations, heavy foot traffic and frequent cleaning while still contributing to a calming environment. 

Shaw Contract’s Terrain II 20mil 2.5mm LVT was selected as the primary flooring surface across all four spaces. The resilient platform provides durability and easy maintenance while allowing educators to introduce removable soft elements, such as rugs or pads, when tactile input is needed. This approach supports flexibility over time, enabling the space to adapt as student needs evolve.

Natural color palettes inspired by blues, greens and wood visuals were intentionally chosen to reduce visual noise and avoid overstimulation, reinforcing a sense of calm, consistency and safety throughout the space. 

Terrain II 20mil 2.5mm LVT colors Echo, Ink, Olive and Azure are used throughout the elementary school sensory rooms.

A Four-Stage Progression of Spaces

Rather than relying on a single sensory room, the project introduces a sequence of spaces designed to meet students where they are emotionally and guide them back to learning.

Using a single resilient flooring platform throughout created visual continuity across all spaces while allowing each room to express a different level of sensory input through layout, pattern placement and color. This consistency helps students move between spaces with minimal disruption and reinforces a sense of familiarity rather than separation.

1. The Reset Room

Minimal input for acute emotional dysregulation

The Reset Room is intentionally sparse, designed for students experiencing heightened emotional or behavioral responses. Visual input is kept to a minimum, and materials were selected for durability and safety. Details such as reinforced switch plates and the absence of loose furnishings help ensure the space remains secure and predictable.

Terrain II’s subtle wood visual anchors the room without drawing attention to itself, allowing the space to remain visually quiet so students can focus on calming their bodies and emotions.

2. Multisensory De-escalation Room (MSDR)

Controlled input for grounding and preventive support

The Multisensory De-escalation Room introduces measured sensory input for students who are not highly escalated but need support regulating before returning to class. Educators use this space as part of a broader sensory strategy, helping students meet specific sensory needs before rejoining academic instruction.

The team began referring to this space as the “treehouse,” a concept grounded in nature, retreat and calm rather than stimulation. Flooring plays an active role in the design, using pattern and color placement to establish stepping paths that encourage balance, focus and body awareness.

Installed with Terrain II, the space benefits from a resilient, easy‑to‑maintain surface while incorporating natural blues, greens and wood‑inspired visuals that feel grounding and safe, avoiding bright colors that could heighten sensory overload.

3 – 4. Transitional Classrooms

Structure and predictability for reintegration

The final two spaces function as transitional classrooms, supporting students as they gradually return to mainstream learning. These rooms prioritize structure, routine and subtle sensory cues, helping students rebuild confidence and consistency.

Educators noted that multiple students have successfully transitioned back into general classrooms since the start of the school year. Flooring creates continuity with the rest of the school, allowing the spaces to feel familiar rather than temporary or separate, while supporting the durability demands of daily classroom use.

Teaching Emotional Awareness Through Space

Beyond physical regulation, the sensory environment also supports emotional literacy. Students are encouraged to identify and discuss their emotions before entering the space, using visual tools posted at the entrance.

“These rooms are designed to feel safe and inviting,” Wayne said. “The colors, organization and cleanliness, combined with support from a trained adult, help students feel secure enough to regulate their emotions and rejoin learning.”

Educators emphasized that the room is not positioned as a reward or a recreational area, but as a purposeful environment for reflection, grounding and emotional processing. This approach reinforces the belief that learning how to manage emotions is essential to long‑term student success.

Designing for the Whole Student

This sensory‑informed project at Homestead Elementary demonstrates how intentional design and material selection can support emotional well‑being, inclusion and long‑term student success without compromising durability or operational efficiency.

By working closely with the Anchorage School District to create a progression of spaces and selecting materials that balance performance with sensory impact, Shaw Contract helped transform a former classroom into a holistic support system embedded within the school. The result is an environment that responds to students as whole people, supporting them not only in moments of challenge, but in their return to learning.