Covid : Impact on architectural design

Covid : Impact on Architectural Design

While there are many lessons learnt over the past 15 months, on the disaster management aspects of the covid crisis, we as professionals are also questioning its impact on spatial design and possible solutions to make our physical environments more resilient and flexible in response to a crisis like this. Architects across the globe are grappling with how COVID-19 will reshape the way new buildings are designed and how old ones are modified for years to come.

Compiled below are some thoughts on how the pandemic will impact architectural design, for different scales of spatial design, going up from scale of the home to the city.

Homes

Flexible partitions to separate out living spaces into smaller components
Buffer or semi - enclosable balcony like spaces
Seek opportunities to add planting and planter boxes that improve indoor air quality
Addition of an ante-room or a vestibule at the entrance for larger units

Additional focus on natural ventilation and day light penetration
A sense of security and calm will definitely be present in interiors. In an uncertain world, home is a cocoon and an escape from the outside world, with soft and cozy materials, light colors and relaxing vibes and furniture that is ergonomic.
Use of Multi-function furniture that creates a Home-office or studio / loft homes
Clutter can cause anxiety and discomfort – feelings that are more unwanted than ever. Thus organization will be emphasized, through de-cluttering, smart storage, and built-in shelving and spaces for keeping items organized.
Common amenities shared with other apartments owners will become distributed and spread out across condominium or residential complex instead of clubbed together
Roof areas and terrace spaces as additional elevated open green spaces

Workspaces

Instead of large open continuous plan offices – shift will happen towards- Smaller modular zones spread out but organized loosely around collaboration spaces.
Different departments or teams will form separate communities with their own pantry and small meeting spaces but connected via commons.
Since people are used to working for home, visiting the office will have to be made into a real nice experience by larger cheerful collaboration spaces and meeting rooms with more elbow room and technology additions.
Use of naturally sterilizing finishes and materials for high-touch points like doorknobs and faucets. migration to sensor/touchless devices

Concept of wellness (WELL Ratings) and healthy buildings will provide a objective framework for design - Biophilia: Connections and access to nature, Restorative spaces: Indoors and outdoors, activity-based light levels, Enhanced daylight access with optimum glare control, Thermal comfort and thermal controls, Good acoustics control
Improved air filtration and ventilation rates and HEPA filters
Low VOC and Healthy materials with nano coating of materials like copper or bronze that impede bactaria growth or humidity
Workspaces will have to provide spaces that support four types of activity: in-person collaboration, virtual collaboration, privacy and movement.
Multiple drinking fountains and beverage stations. Larger and spread out janitor closets.
Make vertical transportation easier by promoting use of staircases and escalators. Staircases to have high specs and open views to encourage their usage.
Active design strategies to get people moving throughout the day, like indoor stairways, treadmill desks and roof running tracks.

Assembly spaces

Restaurants and hotels will shift from being social houses to a balance of social and anti-social spaces to be designed. Wherever code permits al-fresco and street windows and serving counters will be added.
Auditoriums and theaters will either have to reduce capacity or have separated enclosures or tiers. Largest impact will be on stadium seating spacing and capacity.
Educational and institutional spaces will have to be designed with multiple and flexible circulation spaces so that there is no congregation along one common accessway.

Classrooms will have to integrate audio and video technologies to function as virtual classrooms. School sizing and scales will get revisited
Museums, art galleries, banks and government offices will have airport like screening and sanitization spaces at the lobbies and holding areas to waiting patrions as limited capacities will be allowed inside at one time
Huge impact on retail environments. ‘Phygital’ spaces, a merger of physical and digital retail with the help of virtual reality and artificial intelligence is slowly entering the retail space in India and the trend is expected to grow further. Technology will drive revolution going forward with check-out free to touch-free shopping, merchandising to transactions, technology will accelerate the industry reducing physical interaction. Malls will have more breathing spaces and open courtyards.
In all public buildings Unique ways of creating transparent partitions and separations will be explored using tensile or foldable materials.
All elevators and frequently used doors will have smart card or rfid sensors and foot operated door handles

Urban design

In public spaces the designers, architects, developers, and planners have the biggest challenge – to start making an impact again by creating inspiring public places that people will cherish and want to spend time in.
Cities, in addition to opening up to nature, must change in their very structure: the great attractors of crowds and congestion will have to be scaled differently and spread out evenly.
The idea of a zoned city will need re-examination. It’s no longer sustainable, durable or resilient. Nature, living, working, leisure, culture etc. when mixed together are essential for the adaptability of our living structures.

Cities with multiple cores and mixed use building typologies will reduce long trips which induce demand on public transportation
Seek urban design and planning that leads to an urban life where basic necessities are at a reasonable distance, within a geographical radius of 500 meters and a time range of 15/20 minutes; on foot or, at most, by bicycle.
The informal street side retail hawkers and vendors cater to almost 50% of the population of Indian urban cities. Their inclusion in any city plans by creating designated hawker vending zones and off street spaces, otherwise occupied by cars, should be part of any new thinking on our cities.
A huge opportunity also exists in the redundant infrastructure of vacant public parking lots and car-related infrastructure. These spaces if planned in modular, accessible to allow ease of infrastructure can become useful in pandemic and natural disaster as shelters. Adaptive reuse in combination with innovation and design thinking will help utilize the available physical spaces and resources to full potential.

Epilogue

Covid has underscored the irrelevance of us designer’s obsession with form – it has forced us to think big again and tackle from ground up the essential issues of our present – density, environmental crisis, technological transformations, inequalities and inflexible monocultural spaces. The time to make a difference is now.

Image Credits:

1 - (https://massdesigngroup.org/covidresponse)
2 - (https://www.archdaily.com/939534/architecture-post-covid-19-the-profession-the-firms-and-the-individuals)
3 - (https://www.workdesign.com/2020/11/change-managment-program-post-covid-19-workplace/)
4 - (https://www.indiewire.com/2020/08/movie-theaters-safety-not-15-cent-gimmicks-1234580060/)
5 - (https://www.archdaily.com/942388/muselab-wins-coronavirus-design-competition/5ef3af0fb35765d341000017-muselab-wins-coronavirus-design-competition-image)
6 - (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-05-29/coronavirus-reopening-cities-housing-to-offices-how-covid-19-will-reset-architecture-in-cities)