“We saw a gap in interdisciplinary collaboration around healthy buildings, especially in educational settings,” said Jonathan Stanley, Tarkett North America’s director of education and government strategy. “The global pandemic highlighted the urgent need for healthier buildings, revealing issues like poor indoor air quality and mental health concerns.”
The summit was designed to address these problems and drive positive change through deep collaboration. This year’s event, held in Austin, Texas, brought together more than 40 professionals within the education sector—including workplace strategists, institutional leaders, facility and construction experts, behavioral health design specialists, and architects—to discuss a myriad of topics around the theme “Spaces of Connection.” Through super sessions, panel discussions, small group work and storytelling, the group explored how the built environment impacts mental health, user engagement, behavior and a sense of belonging, aiming for a comprehensive understanding of health.