Sustainable Design in a Post-COVID World

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/covid-is-here-to-stay1\/"]],["b"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.worldgbc.org\/news-media\/covid-19-brings-indoor-air-quality-monitoring-upfront"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4504358\/"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu\/article\/whats-going-to-happen-to-all-those-empty-office-buildings\/#:~:text=%E2%80%9COver%20the%20next%20few%20years,the%20third%20quarter%20of%202021."]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8775513\/"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.hfmmagazine.com\/articles\/4329-designing-the-post-pandemic-hospital"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.bdcnetwork.com\/healthcare-design-post-covid-world"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/archive\/2022\/03\/antisocial-behavior-crime-violence-increase-pandemic\/627076\/"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/redshift.autodesk.com\/designing-for-social-distancing\/"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/gbdmagazine.com\/climate-justice\/"]],["a",["href","http:\/\/www.jlhlawoffice.com\/"]],["i"],["strong"]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"May 20, 2022"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"It is perhaps optimistic to\nsay \u201cpost-COVID,\u201d as the virus that shut down the world for two years will\nlikely be a "],[0,[0],1,"permanent, ongoing presence"],[0,[],0,". In this new reality, and on\nthe bright side, certain sustainable design concepts are also likely here to\nstay. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"A Focus on Indoor Air and\nEnvironmental Quality"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Adequate ventilation and\naccess to fresh air have long been tenets of sustainable design, but these\nissues came into sharp focus as we tried to control the spread of microbes\nduring the pandemic. Once airborne transmission was pinpointed as the main\nvector for COVID-19,"],[0,[2],1," mechanical systems were\nscrutinized and rethought"],[0,[],0,". Past is prologue, as access to fresh air and\nsunlight was pushed for treatment of illness "],[0,[3],1,"during the 1918 flu pandemic"],[0,[],0," that claimed between 50 and\n100 million lives over the course of two years."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"Decentralized Workplaces"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The hybrid workplace is\nlikely here to stay. A significant proportion of office workers, after two\nyears of working from home, have no intention of going back. If employers\nwant to attract and keep top talent, they must adjust to this reality and\ncontinue to install and improve the technology they use. Many\ncorporations have declared permanent \u2018work from home\u2026or anywhere else\u2019\npolicies. In terms of sustainable design, this means less concentration\nof the workforce in offices, spreading out energy demands. Older buildings that sit empty with the lights\non may need to be decommissioned or repurposed. University of\nPennsylvania Wharton School economist and professor Joseph Gyourko "],[0,[4],1,"predicts a shift to higher quality buildings"],[0,[],0," as commercial real estate adjusts to\npost-pandemic demand and typical five- to seven-year leases begin to expire."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"Architecture for Health and\nWellness"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"There is both a boom in\ndemand and a "],[0,[5],1,"sense of urgency"],[0,[],0," in design for health and\nwellness. Hospital owners are under pressure to not only respond to the ongoing\npandemic "],[0,[6],1,"as it evolves"],[0,[],0,", but to also plan for future\npandemics with unknown characteristics (and an aging population). "],[0,[7],1,"As hospital owner-operators seek to \u2018future\nproof\u2019 their facilities"],[0,[],0,", the design industry is responding with decentralized\nfacilities and adaptive reuse, along with one of the key components of\nsustainable design: flexibility. Design firms will continue to be called\nupon to collaborate with professionals in the medical field on designs that\naddress problems extrapolated from experiences with COVID-19. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[1],1,"Social Change and Climate\nJustice"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The literal and figurative\nspace between us was thrust front and center, ironically as social distancing\nbecame the norm. People have become more distanced by necessity, due\nto social and political catalysts coinciding with, and in some cases fueled by,\nthe pandemic. In a tenser population now accustomed to keeping their distance,\nchanges in occupancy requirements, as well as "],[0,[8],1,"the rise of violent behaviors"],[0,[],0," in the public realm, seem to\nhave tracked with the pandemic itself. How the public interacts with one\nanother was fundamentally changed by and during the pandemic, with social\ndistancing and mask-wearing having untold effects (especially on children and the\nelderly). "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Design for social distancing\n\u2013 and social interaction \u2013 continues to require a "],[0,[9],1,"multidisciplinary\nunderstanding of the technical and psychological aspects of design"],[0,[],0,". How design can bring\npeople together, address public safety, and promote access to clean air, water,\nand cultural value presents a unique challenge for the design community -- one\nthat holds "],[0,[10],1,"much promise in uncertain\ntimes"],[0,[],0,". "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Jessyca Henderson is an attorney and architect\nbased in Maryland, providing legal services and consulting to design\nprofessionals, corporations and government related to sustainable design,\nbuilding science, and environment. "],[0,[11],1,"www.jlhlawoffice.com"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[12,13],2,"AIA Contract Documents has provided this article\nfor general informational purposes only. The information provided is not legal\nopinion or legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship of\nany kind. This article is also not intended to provide guidance as to how\nproject parties should interpret their specific contracts or resolve contract\ndisputes, as those decisions will need to be made in consultation with legal\ncounsel, insurance counsel, and other professionals, and based upon a multitude\nof factors. "]]]]}