Tarkett North America, a global leader in sustainable and innovative flooring solutions, is introducing Discovery, a new collection designed to assist architects, designers, and facility managers in creating inspiring education spaces for every learner.
Discovery features two soft-surface options and a coordinating LVT, all of which were created with the needs of students and educators in mind.
“Good education flooring design supports each person who walks through the door, in every square inch of the building,” said Jonathan Stanley, Tarkett North America’s vice president of education and government strategies.
“Discovery was created with these requirements in mind. Our designers investigated the neurodivergent spectrum and the concept of educating the whole child. As a result, the collection combines serene neutrals with vibrant colorways to inspire curiosity, imagination, and perspective in all types of learners.”
One in every seven people worldwide is thought to have a neurodiverse disorder such as ADHD, autism, dyspraxia, dyslexia, or Tourette’s syndrome.
Tarkett investigated how interior environments influence thinking, behavior, engagement, social awareness, and interactive experiences while developing Discovery.
The company’s designers created flooring that both soothes and engages the senses, so that every person, neurotypical or neurodiverse, experiences a learning environment that helps them thrive.
Visual Path and Mentor are the collection’s two soft-surface options. Visual Path’s high-definition shapes and lively patterns stimulate the senses with a fun, dynamic aesthetic.
With its use of color and geometry, this soft surface is purposefully designed to evoke organization and connectivity.
Mentor, on the other hand, has a calming effect in any educational setting. Painterly lines, a diffused pattern, and eye-catching geometry invite students to find peace and clarity.
Visual Path and Mentor are both available in Powerbond and three modular tile sizes, with 12 colorways to support educational spaces.
With names like Be Kind and Be You, each colorway serves as a reminder of the collection’s intention. Visual Path and Mentor are made from Tarkett’s premium Dynex SD fiber, which is extremely durable and stain resistant.
Method LVT, which joined the collection in October, is designed to coordinate perfectly with Visual Path and Mentor and features striking geometrics that adds playful energy to any educational space.
Tarkett’s proprietary Techtonic technology protects Method LVT, providing best-in-class scratch resistance and lower life cycle costs. With Tarkett’s digital printing technology, the design is available in eight standard colors and can be easily recolored to match other Tarkett flooring.
The collection includes several proprietary technologies that contribute to a healthier indoor environment and a healthier planet, in addition to its contribution to engaging design.
- Visual Path and Mentor are available on Tarkett’s ethos Modular carpet backing with Omnicoat Technology. ethos is non-PVC, made with PVB film from recycled windshields and safety glass, and has a recycled content of 48-64%.
- Tarkett has analyzed and optimized 100% of ethos materials for human and environmental health, and Ethos is Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver. Since 1993, ethos products have been manufactured in Dalton, Georgia, in a facility that uses 100% renewable electricity and uses 98% less water.
- To support overall wellness and performance, Powerbond’s closed-cell cushion provides a wall-to-wall moisture barrier, more comfort underfoot, and absorbs 22% of airborne sound.
- Tarkett North America’s soft-surface flooring is free of all six classes of harmful chemicals and PFAS. Tarkett’s Eco-Ensure soil protection technology has received a Cradle to Cradle Material Health Certificate at the Platinum level, demonstrating the company’s commitment to using materials that are safe for both human and environmental health.
- Tarkett North America was the first flooring company to eliminate ortho-phthalates from all vinyl-containing products, including Powerbond and luxury vinyl tile.
