Trauma-Informed Design: A Practical Approach to Creating Supportive Spaces
Robert Hopkins, AHR

This panel explores trauma-informed design (TID), an emerging approach that extends trauma-informed care principles into the built environment. Panellists from education, policy, architecture and regional governance will demonstrate how TID can improve learning outcomes and build community resilience, regardless of sector, scale or budget.We outline the practical and achievable steps to embedding TID from project outset, sharing insights gained on the University of Salford's Thrive Health and Wellbeing Centre, the UK's trauma-informed academic buildings.This discussion will demonstrate how TID shapes supportive, inclusive spaces, that support user wellbeing, offering log-term tangible returns against health, equality and sustainability metrics.

Inclusive School Design in the New SEND White Paper Era
Stephanie Kyle, Floyd Slaski Architects, Associate, Architect & Inclusive Design Consultant, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Neurodiversity Specialist

As new DfE reforms require inclusion bases in every mainstream school, this session asks: will they help inclusion or reinforce separation? Architectural and inclusive design expert Stephanie Kyle will unpack practical, spatial design strategies for inclusion bases and mainstream environments that truly support neurodivergent students and students with non-visible disabilities. Join this session to explore how sensory design, zoning, adaptable environments and inclusive wayfinding can make the whole school more equitable, not just one room. If you are shaping school estates in the era of the new SEND white paper, this session offers clear, evidence-informed design insights.