While fans at the 2026 Summit League Basketball Championship in Sioux Falls were glued to the action on the court, JLG Architects faced a unique challenge just minutes away: transforming an ordinary hotel auxiliary room into a meaningful wellness space under the pressure of a five-day tournament.
For the second consecutive year, JLG Architects partnered with the Summit League and Holiday Inn City Centre to provide athletes, coaching staff, officials, and support personnel with a designated space to relax, refocus, and recharge. In 2026, Sanford Health Sioux Falls elevated the effort, lending clinical guidance as JLG’s Sports and Healthcare Studios collaborated across the March 4–8 tournament.
The Zen Zone, located within the Holiday Inn City Centre where many athletes and coaches stayed, is a private respite room designed to moderate stress at the height of competition — the kind now appearing in forward-thinking hospitals, schools, and workplaces. What makes it meaningful is not its square footage, but its intentionality.
Getting in the zone within the standard slate of a small hotel flex room was our team’s challenge — a space JLG could curate but not alter. No moving walls and no changing of permanent fixtures. Every therapeutic effect had to be achieved through the layering of light, sound, texture, and scent. In that constraint lies the lesson most transferable to any architect’s practice — meaningful design is less about what you build and more about what you intentionally bring together.
Every element was selected with evidence-based principles in mind, relying on the cross-studio expertise of both JLG’s Sports and Healthcare Studios. Varied seating was chosen to accommodate different comfort needs, from floor cushions to upright chairs. Warm-toned, dimmable lighting was specified to support circadian regulation, drawing from WELL Building Standard principles for restorative environments. Weighted blankets were selected for their documented role in reducing anxiety through deep-pressure stimulation. Passive aromatherapy, yoga mats, calming music, and a deliberate color palette completed a layered sensory environment open to personalized interpretation — one person’s space for prayer, another’s for meditation, another’s simply for silence.
JLG’s Healthcare Studio contributed sensory-sensitive and trauma-informed design principles, while the Sports Studio provided context around the psychological pressures of collegiate athletics. Sanford Health’s clinical partnership ensured alignment with current mental health best practices — together shaping a room that feels both professionally considered and genuinely human.
The Zen Zone is a built proof-of-concept — prototyping an idea before permanent investment and demonstrating value in real conditions before a construction dollar is committed.
“Sanford Health is proud to contribute towards the creation of the Zen Zone, a space specifically designed to provide collegiate athletes with the mental health support they deserve,” said Sanford Health’s Brittney Nathan, CCLS, Lead Program Development Specialist. “This partnership reinforces our commitment to ensuring mental well-being is prioritized alongside physical performance. By working together, we are fostering a supportive environment where student-athletes have the tools and resilience necessary to thrive both on and off the court. Our goal is to lead the way in destigmatizing mental health, ensuring every athlete feels empowered to seek the support they need without hesitation.”
Summit League Commissioner Josh Fenton also applauded the continued collaboration and its impact on the championship experience.
“At the Summit League, the well-being of our student-athletes is always at the forefront of our mission,” said Commissioner Josh Fenton. “The intensity of championship competition brings incredible excitement, but it also brings unique pressures. The partnership with JLG Architects and Sanford Health to provide the Zen Zone reflects our shared commitment to supporting the whole student-athlete — mentally, physically, and emotionally. We are grateful for their leadership in helping us create an environment where our student-athletes can thrive both on and off the court.”
A win-win for all partners would be to have this sentiment and space replicated in our day-to-day, chipping away at the goal of normalizing self-care and destigmatizing mental health. A meaningful respite room can be achieved nearly anywhere with 150–300 square feet to spare. With a modest investment in furnishings, lighting, and acoustic control, this design is scalable, from a hotel room to an office or permanent campus wellness suite.
“As architects working in collegiate athletics, our responsibility goes beyond designing places to train and compete,” said Adam Davidson, Principal in JLG’s Sports Studio. “The environments we create are instrumental in promoting mental health and overall well-being, integrating dedicated recovery areas, spaces for privacy, and opportunities for connection. Thoughtful sports architecture helps reduce stress, promote balance, and ensure student-athletes are supported, not just as competitors but as people. Last year’s Summit League Championships were a great starting point, and our partnership with Sanford Health has helped put ideas to work within a holistic space that truly supports both student-athletes and coaches.”
As a long-time supporter of his community’s and firm’s mental health initiatives, Todd Medd, JLG’s Principal and Healthcare Practice Studio Leader, co-founded the 4-6-3 Foundation to connect youth with mental health awareness and suicide prevention resources. Collaborating across studios, Todd has spearheaded the integration of healthcare’s trauma-informed design principles into education and athletic environments. “The Zen Zone may be a temporary installation in the hotel, but this is the kind of space collegiate campuses can easily replicate for long-term benefits,” said Medd. “The same healthcare design principles we use to support mental health—such as calming environments, privacy, and sensory control—can be thoughtfully integrated into student-athlete facilities. By applying evidence-based strategies from healthcare design, colleges can create supportive spaces that promote well-being, resilience, and peak performance for their student-athletes — prioritizing both physical and mental health.”
In the game of life, one well-designed room can quietly empower change — improving how we work, learn, and play.
