Architecture 2021, A New Conversation: Offices, Schools, Retail, Covid-19 Precautions and More
“There has been much banter in the Architectural World about the impact of Coronavirus on Architecture…and vice-versa. The parameters have shifted.” Today’s woman dreamer, Amrata Kirpalani, a Boston-Based architectural designer and design professional, shares her expertise on what we can expect the future design of our offices, schools, and businesses to look like, in order to enable social distancing and safety. In this article, Amrata brings light on how the pandemic has compelled the Design industry to delve into deeper questions about designing for the future with foresight, and the essential precautions that children must take at schools. From touch-free bathrooms to new desk layouts, join us for a New Conversation on Architecture in 2021!
Like most businesses, the business of Architecture and City Planning has been severely impacted by the current pandemic. Not only have the clients stalled or postponed projects, but the fabric of cities has been permanently altered. We have lost the freedom and vibrancy of people rubbing shoulders with other people in bustling marketplaces and urban downtowns. Pre-COVID, if an Architect designed a mixed-use development that became wonderfully populous and buzzed with activity and movement, it was considered a success. Now, designers and planners must reconsider what an effective project entails. The parameters have shifted.
Previously Architects asked a couple of questions before embarking on a new project design: How will the building finally look? How will it function? Who is the end user and how does the building serve him or her? Now the questions must be deeper: Can the building really be a healthy environment and promote well-being? Can the building be part of the antidote against this (or any future) virus?
For our daily lives to run smoothly, we need to access several commercial and public service buildings. The damning effects of COVID-19 on some of these are addressed below and how Architecture can step in and be the driver for change.
SCHOOLS: There is an urgent need for Architects to rethink everything they thought they knew about schools in light of COVID-19. There seems to be two primary modes of transmission for this disease: air and surfaces. Moving desks within the classroom that are 6 feet apart was the immediate response for the in-person option when schools opened this fall. Also, most schools re-evaluated their ventilation and have added specialized filters in their air-conditioning systems. “Opening windows, increasing air movement, introducing filters, and turning on fans could mean the difference between safety or sickness.” Says Michael Murphy, Principal at MASS. Replacing metal and plastic surfaces with more absorbent surfaces can also help contain the contagion.
But is this enough?
Renee Cheng, dean of the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington says that “Now we must also wonder how often students wash their hands and whether they attended a party last night. Pursuing these deeper questions might feel intimidating or intrusive, but there is freedom in interrogating, rethinking, and finding new stories in histories we thought we knew”.
Another Architecture firm, SOM, has designed a pop-up, easy to install, modular classroom for schools that need temporary accommodation due to a failure in their existing ventilation systems or lack of space reasons. These modular rooms have pitched roofs with 20-foot-high ceilings, to enhance air circulation, while a raised floor would contain power sockets and individual return ventilation to remove air from around each desk. The whole interior would be clad in easily sanitized finishes. This kind of solution could be an immediate or temporary answer, and some of these principles could be permanently adopted in HVAC and classroom design.
RETAIL / COMMERCIAL / OFFICES: Online retail has consumed the retail sector. This already poses a serious threat to the brick-and-mortar retail mall. To add to their peril, COVID has jabbed the dagger even further into the hearts of malls and other commercial establishments.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Retail Prophet, Doug Stephens says that physical stores are going through a corresponding evolution. “Retail has to accept an atmosphere of constant experimentation, iteration and change. They must be willing to step just beyond their current understanding and do unprecedented things”
Indoor malls today must have specialized HEPA air filters in their air conditioning systems. Designers should propose creative layouts of merchandise display to allow for safe distances. Spatial Strategies for Restaurants too can ensure safety of the employees and customers: individual eating booths separated with sneeze-guards, outdoor dining decks with spaced out furniture etc; all of these are responses to the current pandemic but will have long-lasting impacts on restaurant design.
Office spaces need to be less dense than they were before, with designers providing new desk layouts to their clients. New office designs should also propose more (and easy) outdoor access, redefining exit requirements mandated by code. Should there now be a sink in every vestibule where people can wash their hands before entering? Office cafeterias are another area where forward-thinking design solutions can save the day.
Also, the importance of improving hygiene in Commercial restrooms cannot be stressed enough. Any product, system or design that eliminates the number of surfaces the user touches is now of the utmost importance, and that is what a designer should specify. Sensor-based, touch-free products reduce bacteria and can enhance overall hygiene.
A Hands-free restroom mockup
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Do not hesitate to ask about what precautions the school has taken to mitigate disease. Have they changed their air filters? How often do they clean? A parent is their child’s protector; no question is now too intrusive.
Ask the principals and teachers at school if / how often they get tested.
Walk out of a store, bank, or library if you do not see a plexiglass shield at the checkout counter.
Avoid closed-off hallways, waiting areas, and other spaces designed without airflow in mind.
Encourage fellow business owners to be as transparent as possible about their cleaning procedures. This will increase employee and consumer confidence.
Stagger start times in your offices to reduce foot traffic in halls, stairs and elevators.
Not just the designers, but educators, parents, business owners, landlords, tenants, and manufacturers…everyone needs to be equally involved in these endeavors. We must continue to champion investments in any infrastructure that promotes health; and architects will be right there, continuing to stand up for the safety and welfare of the society.
Bio: Amrata Kirpalani, is a Boston-based Architectural Associate, Design Professional, and co-founder of Kreative Property Solutions, constantly challenges the place of Architecture in the shaping of society. Amrata has a Professional degree in Architectural design advanced from South Africa and has been practicing in the United States for 15 years in the fields of Retail, Commercial, Senior Living, Residential and School Design. She consults for Architecture firms in New York and Cleveland and she is a LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) Accredited Professional. She is also a member of the ‘West Elementary School Building Committee’ in the town of her residence, Andover.
Sources Consulted
https://massdesigngroup.org/role-architecture-fighting-pandemic
https://www.architectmagazine.com/practice/renee-cheng-change-agency-value-change_o
https://www.archdaily.com/947828/som-designs-covid-responsive-pop-up-school