Brighton Secondary School

A unique air-cleaning carpet tile has become a major contributor to the health and wellbeing of students and staff at Brighton Secondary School – particularly those suffering from asthma and allergies.

Located in a coastal suburb of Adelaide, Brighton Secondary School (BSS) made a new addition to its buildings in 2016 and sought to specify a flooring product that improved indoor air-quality. As Tarkett SA state manager, Phillip Curtis, said: “The school wanted to be progressive and ensure the new building’s environment was the best it can be for the health and wellbeing of occupants,” said Mr Curtis.

Asthma is the most prevalent burden of disease for Australian children aged up to 14 years. It is a significant contributing factor in disrupting their learning and recreation time – being a common cause of school absenteeism due to related illness. Asthma Australia said more than 460,000 Australians under the age of 14 have asthma (10.1 percent of population) and that over the period of one year, 42 percent of Australians aged up to 14 had to take time off school due to the condition. Mr Curtis stressed that not only children benefit from a healthier indoor environment. “Overall, most people in urban environments spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors and, as such, improving indoor air quality can have an immediate, tangible positive impact on workspace health and wellbeing for all occupants,” he said.