COVID-19 ARCHITECTURE “DESIGN FOR THE NEW ERA”

"Design has never been this important. Here’s how we can develop the change to help people and society adapt this crisis and prepare for the future"

How previous pandemic redesigned world? 

From antibacterial brass doorknobs to broad, well-ventilated boulevards, our cities and buildings have always been shaped by disease. 

It was cholera that influenced the modern street grid, as 19th-century epidemics prompted the introduction of sewage systems that required the roads above them to be wider and straighter, along with new zoning laws to prevent overcrowding. 

The third plague pandemic, a bubonic outbreak that began in China in 1855, changed the design of everything from drain pipes to door thresholds and building foundations, in the global war against the rat. 

And the wipe-clean aesthetic of modernism was partly a result of tuberculosis, with light-flooded sanatoriums inspiring an era of white-painted rooms, hygienic tiled bathrooms and the ubiquitous mid-century recliner chair. Form has always followed fear of infection, just as much as function. 

With each of us now living in socially distanced self-isolation, with shops shuttered, offices abandoned and urban centers reduced to ghost towns, it’s hard not to wonder what kind of lasting impact Covid-19 will have on our cities.

Few questions arise in mind,

1. Do we need to adapt houses as our workstations? How we will create work environment at home?

2. Do pavements need to widen up to maintain our distance? 

3. Will we no longer want to live so densely packed houses together? Working in open-plan offices? And cramming into lifts?

Do you think the way offices are laid out will change? 

We have been pursing greater density in the workplace for several years now. Companies have wanted less office space per person. I don’t foresee workspaces getting larger, even after this pandemic. But I think companies might start rethinking the spacing they have between workstations and how they arrange these stations to give employees a bit more room between each other.

Workspace Adaptation 

“How we think about the workplace will be the biggest change, “We’ve seen a huge boom in co-working spaces. But, after this, are companies really going to want to put their entire team in one place, where they’re closely mingling with other businesses?” 

The co-working dream was sold on the very basis of social interaction, the promise that you might rub up against freelance creative types while you’re waiting for your artisanal coffee. But proximity may no longer seem so tempting. 

“I’m not suggesting we all go back to working in 1950s cellular cubicles, but I do think the density in offices will change. We’ll see a move away from open-plan layouts, as well as better ventilation and more openable windows.” 

“I think we’ll see wider corridors and doorways, more partitions between departments, and a lot more staircases."

Hands-Free Workplace 

Artificial intelligence and ambient technology offer solutions for making workspace healthier and people more productive. 

Think of a scenario, We have cars that automatically sync with the key fobs in our pockets so that, before we step inside the vehicle, the mirrors and seats are adjusted, the air-conditioning is on, the engine is running and the radio is tuned to our favorite station. Now compare that to the workplace, where many of us are still crawling under our desks every time we need to access a power outlet. 

One thing is almost certain: People will no longer view the workplace the same way as before. One aspect that is sure to change is how we approach high-touch areas of the workplace. The desire, if not need, to reduce the number of touch points in our work environments could be the first factor that leads us to truly autonomous, hands-free environments. 

In this new scenario, we would leverage the technology already available to create spaces that are responsive to us instead of us having to respond to them. These solutions will no longer be “luxury” solutions—they will be essential requirements of the modern workplace. Why? Because the cost to create hands-free solutions enabled by technology is minimal compared to the price of having to shut down a business due to contamination or illness. 

We have the ability to design spaces that support freedom of movement and enable us to work hands-free. Smart tech can help create a truly intelligent, autonomous workplace designed to meet the specific needs of individuals and create safer, cleaner and healthier space.

Furniture Adaptation 

“Office desks have shrunk over the years, from 1.8m to 1.6m to now 1.4m and less, but I think we’ll see a reversal of that, as people won’t want to sit so close together.”

Legislation might be introduced to mandate a minimum area per person in offices, as well as a reduction in maximum occupancy for lifts and larger lobbies to minimize overcrowding.

Increase ventilation

HVAC systems that re-circulate air are common. Going forward, we must consider ways to ventilate more with outdoor air to dilute airborne contaminants and lower transmission opportunities. In addition to HVAC systems, operable windows provide a simple solution for letting in more outdoor air.

Maintain optimal humidity

Because viruses survive better in low-humidity environments, tweaking the HVAC systems to obtain an optimal range of 40 to 60 percent humidity should be adapted. For older buildings, portable humidifiers offer a quick solution.

Specify “smart” materials

We must prioritize materials that are easy to maintain, resist mold and promote good indoor-air quality. There will be a demand for products and technology designed to sanitize surfaces. Many manufacturers are already integrating antimicrobial coatings onto interior products such as flooring, door hardware, faucets, window shades, paint and furniture. We can also leverage materials that are inherently antimicrobial, such as copper. There are lessons to be learned from the healthcare sector that we can apply to corporate workplaces and all indoor environments.

City Density 

Since the pandemic has turned social contact into the ultimate evil, some have been blaming the density of cities for the rapid spread of the disease, advocating the suburbs as the safest place to be. “There is a density level in NYC that is destructive,” 

With travel limited, the local high street has come into its own: corner shops and bodegas are generally proving much better stocked than supermarkets. The pandemic has also made visible other changes that have been happening under our noses. 

Coronavirus has exposed the effects of tourism and migration on cities across the world in different ways. In Delhi, the decree to stay at home has seen thousands of migrant workers walk hundreds of miles back to their rural villages, with cancelled work leaving them unable to pay rent.

There is something really clarifying about a pandemic: you can see the absolute necessity of a public health service and a proper social welfare system. It creates a very clear picture of what is good.”

Courtyards, porches and lobbies 

The courtyard allows for households to interact with sunlight and open air without needing to step into the public realm. The courtyard is a place to store provisions, to hang out bedding to air or dry, to allow children to play and to hear each other’s sounds of health or distress. 

As architects designed ever more minimal social housing in the 20th century, and supported the rapid decrease in the size of commercial apartments in the 21st, the excess space of the lobby was an easy target to shrink or remove. Returning to the logic of lobbies will allow for reinsertion of these valuable thresholds of health and safety.