British designer Thomas Heatherwick is set to keynote the 2026 Global Wellness Summit, a high-profile gathering of wellness industry leaders. The event will take place from November 10 to 13 at the Angsana Laguna Phuket resort in Thailand, marking the summit’s 20th anniversary.
Wellness Beyond the Spa
The summit will convene executives, doctors, investors, and policymakers to discuss the global wellness economy. Organizers emphasize that wellness extends far beyond spas, gyms, and medical offices. According to Nancy Davis, the Executive Director and Chief Creative Officer of the Global Wellness Summit, environments shape physical and emotional wellbeing. She has noted that the environments people inhabit can influence their overall health and that wellness is about much more than what happens inside a spa, a gym, or a doctor’s office.
The 2026 gathering is themed “The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.” Heatherwick’s address will explore the connection between the built environment and human experience. His work has previously examined how physical spaces affect people. He will examine the relationship between wellness, creativity, science, and technology, forming part of the summit’s wider program examining the intersection of these fields with design and human experience.
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A Career in Design
Heatherwick is the founder of Heatherwick Studio, a London- and Shanghai-based practice. The studio works across architecture, design, sculpture, engineering, and environment. Its stated ambition is to create “radically more joyful, engaging and human” spaces. The firm aims to see a world where the buildings and places around us are radically more joyful, engaging and human and to create projects that make life better for everyone.
Heatherwick did not train as an architect. He started in furniture and product design before moving into sculpture and installations. He began his career in furniture and product design, sculpture and installations, with materials and making remaining central to the approach of Heatherwick Studio. The firm has won over 100 international awards, including the Prix Versailles and RIBA National Awards. He was appointed a CBE in 2013 for services to the design industry.
His portfolio includes major projects like Little Island and Vessel in New York, London’s Coal Drops Yard, and 1,000 Trees in Shanghai. Other works include the Azabudai Hills in Tokyo and the upcoming Changi Terminal 5 in Singapore. His work also includes AlUla Manara in Saudi Arabia, Hatai in Bangkok, the forthcoming Google headquarters in London and the upcoming Google headquarters in London, and the Universidad Ean in Bogotá.
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Heatherwick’s keynote will examine how wellness, creativity, science, and technology intersect. Previously announced speakers include Dan Buettner, William E. Heineke, and Andrea B. Maier. His individual honours include the Prince Philip Designers Prize, the RIBA Lubetkin Prize for the UK Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010, the London Design Medal and the Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT. His most recent TED Talk has received more than 2 million views, highlighting his ability to connect complex design concepts to everyday human needs.
Designing for Better Lives
While the focus of the summit is on health and wellbeing, the choice of speaker suggests a broader conversation about urban planning and architecture. Heatherwick’s TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times, highlighting his ability to connect complex design concepts to everyday human needs. The upcoming Google headquarters in London and the Universidad Ean in Bogotá represent his ongoing work in large-scale development. His book, “Humanise: A Maker’s Guide to Building Our World,” has been published internationally in multiple languages and editions. Six million people have listened to his BBC Radio 4 series “Building Soul.”