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Beyond next-generation workplace solutions and sustainable materials, The Best of NeoCon also considers healthcare environments and has a group of jurors who specialize in healthcare interiors planning. The winners of the 36th annual Best of NeoCon Awards were announced June 10 at The Mart as part of NeoCon 2026, the commercial interiors event. The awards recognize products that exemplify excellence in design, performance, innovation and user experience within the built environment.
The Best of Competition-winning Cognetic Technology by KI stood out for its intuitive, human-centered design. A key feature of the Kiaura Collection, the Cognetic Technology is available in seating for conference, guest and lounge, and ergonomic desk/task that can be specified in a variety of hospital or medical office buildings.
The Best of NeoCon 2026 winners that are suited for specification by healthcare facility managers and interior planners are listed below.
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The Mohawk Group garnered Gold and Sustainability awards for Hero Rubber made with Nike Grind, a high-performance resilient flooring collection.
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C.F. Stinson won the Silver and Sustainability awards for Healthcare Textiles with Bloomscape.
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Wanderwood by Patcraft earned Silver in Healthcare Hard-Surface Flooring. Inspired by classic terrazzo, Wanderwood explores how material can transform what’s possible.
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Templok Energy Saving Ceilings from Armstrong World Industries (AWI), a fusion of acoustics and thermal science, won an Innovation award.
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Integra Seating received the Silver award for its Odyssey Collection Expanded in the Healthcare Guest & Lounge Seating category.
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The Etta Collection from Keilhauer took the Gold award in Healthcare Guest & Lounge Seating and Seating: Modular, and the Silver for Lounge Furniture Collections.
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Designing for dignity: How flooring supports mental well-being at Grace Counseling Center
By Frances Phillips, Senior Content Marketing Manager, Shaw Contract — For the Grace Counseling Center project, every design decision was made with one goal in mind: to create a safe, welcoming environment that supports mental and emotional well‑being. As a space dedicated to counseling and healing, the interior needed to feel calm, approachable and restorative for both patients and staff. Flooring played a critical role in bringing that vision to life.
From the moment visitors enter the center, the environment feels intentional and human‑centered. Soft textures, natural tones and cohesive transitions help reduce stress and create a sense of continuity throughout the space. Rather than feeling institutional, the design reflects a hospitality‑inspired approach that puts comfort first.
Shaw Contract partnered with the design team to deliver a flooring solution that balanced performance with emotional impact. Products were selected not only for durability and ease of maintenance, but also for their ability to contribute to a calming atmosphere. Subtle patterns and biophilic influences help ground the space, while thoughtful color palettes support a sense of stability and ease.
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ISSA creates DOL-approved Cleaning Technician Apprenticeship Program to elevate this skilled trade + career path
In conjunction with this year’s National Apprenticeship Week, ISSA, The Association for Cleaning and Facility Solutions, announced the creation of its Cleaning Technician Registered Apprenticeship Program, a landmark achievement that brings the cleaning profession into the national apprenticeship framework for the first time.
Recently approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), ISSA‘s Cleaning Technician Registered Apprenticeship Program is a structured workforce-development pathway that prepares individuals for professional careers in cleaning and facility services across commercial, institutional and industrial environments. The program combines on-the-job learning with nationally recognized certification, giving apprentices portable credentials and a clear career pathway while giving employers a consistent, skilled talent pipeline.
ISSA‘s Registered Apprenticeship directly addresses labor shortages and workforce development gaps by offering a competency-based, nationally vetted program that includes emphasis on safety, infection prevention, and professional standards.
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Hiring is up for healthcare FMs. See jobs from Stanford, HealthSouth, Baptist Health, Sarasota Memorial
For the month of May, the U.S. economy added 172,000 jobs, more than economists had predicted. Healthcare continued to be a major contributor to employment growth, adding 35,000 jobs, while social assistance employment rose by 12,000. The healthcare built environment will need to respond to the increase in aging baby boomers, chronic illness rates, mental health concerns, and expansion of telehealth and outpatient services. Further, healthcare IT is growing at 2x the national average.
Whenever there is a demand for healthcare practitioners, it can impact the facilities where they perform their jobs. This week’s healthcare positions on the FMLink Job Board include:
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Director, Operational Excellence & Administration - Facilities Services, Stanford Health Care, Palo Alto, CA
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Facilities Management Director, HealthSouth, Sunrise, FL
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Director Plant Operations / Facilities Management, Incendia Partners, Franklin, NE
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Manager, Animal Research Facilities, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
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Facilities Manager, ARDENT, Alameda, NM
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Director Facilities Planning, Construction Management, Baptist Health S. Fla., Miami, FL
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Equipment & Project Planner, Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System, Sarasota, FL
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Close a critical gap in hospital safety with Athena Security's ambulance bay weapons detection system
Athena Security, provider of AI-enabled physical security solutions, has announced an innovative Ambulance Bay Weapons Detection System. Powered by AI, the system automates weapons screening for patients arriving via stretcher or wheelchair, removing the need for hand-wanding and closing a critical security gap.
Hospital emergency departments face a uniquely complex screening environment. Patients often arrive unconscious or in distress, on fully metal gurneys, making traditional metal detectors ineffective and manual screening both time-consuming and inherently flawed. The Ambulance Bay Weapons Detection System improves safety without slowing down care. It integrates seamlessly with Athena’s facility-wide platform, including visitor management, weapons detection, and AI-assisted X-ray, delivering a unified approach.
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BayCare hospital pilots “first-of-its-kind” robotic patient transport system by Rovex
BayCare Health System in West Central Florida and Rovex, a Florida-based robotics startup, recently announced a strategic partnership to pilot how robotics could support hospital operations and patient transport workflows. The pilot began at BayCare’s Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, Florida, in April.
Rovi is touted as the world’s first in-hospital transport robot. It is designed to attach to any existing stretcher (and eventually beds and wheelchairs) and enable patient transport, while helping keep patients informed and connected to their care team.
The phased pilot focuses on evaluating workflows, transport patterns and operational opportunities within the hospital environment, with later phases designed to support potential in-hospital robotic stretcher movement.
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Healthcare pros share secrets of fostering trust within your project team during IFHE World Congress
Health systems preparing for a major capital project know that the best outcomes often come down to having the right partners onboard. Committing to a partner for a project that may span decades is a major exercise in trust, but it’s also the foundation of project success. Melissa Kiefer, VP, Strategy, Suffolk Construction, noted, "In increasingly fragmented and fast-moving project environments, strong relationships become the mechanism that allows teams to navigate uncertainty without losing alignment."
In a session during the upcoming International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE) World Congress, Kiefer will be joined by Curtis Skolnick, System Director, Real Estate Strategy-Portfolio Healthcare Planning, CommonSpirit Health, and Jonathan B. Cogswell, VP, Design & Construction, Northwell Health Facilities Services, to discuss how to create an environment where trust can flourish.
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What hot/cold complaints are really telling you
Hot offices, cold classrooms, and temperature complaints that show up in the work order queue are dealt with by facilities teams every day. On the surface, hot/cold calls look like comfort issues and may sound like whining. But in reality, they’re early-warning indicators that something deeper is happening inside your HVAC ecosystem — especially in your air handlers.
Air handlers set the entire foundation for how a building breathes, cools, heats, filters and balances occupant comfort. When something slips, filters clog, sensors fail, or coils get dirty, the first people to notice are the people in the buildings, then it’s the facilities team's responsibility to diagnose the problem. Hot/cold calls are simply the symptoms. The HVAC system is often the cause.
“About 30%-40% of the hot/cold calls on medical/surgical floors are a result of equipment failures,” said Andrew Williams, Director of FM, USA Health.
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