We’re beginning to see a lot of predictions in the media about changes that could emerge in the design and building industries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are three we found particularly valuable and/or contentious.
TIME TO ADAPT
Social-distancing recommendations have put a premium on architectural space. Newton D'souza, department chair for interior architecture at Florida International University, suggests “time” should be elevated to an essential design strategy in thinking about how occupants can safely share space. He also digs into case studies references schools of thought regarding adaptive use. "There is a saying in architectural circles that buildings are the only large machines that come without an instruction manual. As designers we not only need to make spaces multifunctional and flexible but also make it intuitive for users to understand that these functions are possible,” he wrote.
On Archinect, 1700 words
Time, Space, and Adaptive Reuse in the Age of Social Distancing
AUTO-CENTRIC IMMUNITY
The pandemic has laid bare the weakness of car-centric cities, according to Rocky Mountain Institute’s Ben Holland. People without cars are stranded without access to food or commerce, he argues, as a result of zoning laws that favor single-family detached homes. "American cities’ insistence on maintaining antiquated zoning and planning policies disconnects communities from economic opportunity, worsens public health, and drives up emissions through increased automobile usage," he wrote. However, the spread of the virus in urban centers has magnified resistance to urban densification, as made obvious by the heated comments in response to the article.
Republished on Green Building Advisor, 1400 words
Coronavirus and the Fragility of Auto-Centric Cities
PASSIVE HOUSE AGGRESSION
Treehugger’s long-time design editor, Lloyd Alter, stirred up controversy at the end of April with a post about how ongoing hygiene ventilation is largely impossible for the vast majority of U.S. buildings that use air to transfer heat. “In Passive House (or Passivhaus) the heating and cooling is kept separate from the ‘hygiene ventilation’ system that exhausts stale air and delivers fresh air,” he explained in a followup this month. He addressed rebuttals—mostly by HVAC folks—to conclude that passive design, with its focus on a sealed envelope and integrated mechanical considerations, needs to become the new norm in North America.
On Treehugger, 1200 words
After the coronavirus, we have to throw out The American Way of Building
WHO WROTE THAT?
By some estimates, ghost writers produce as much as 25 percent of the books on the New York Times bestseller. Ghostwritten articles are regularly used to increase the visibility of thought leaders or organizations. But is it legit?
From New Growth Communications, 1200 words
Can Ghostwriting Really Be Thought Leadership?
Free Download For You (PDF)
21 Green Building Publications That Want Your Articles
Includes descriptions, rankings and tips on submission
NEW RESOURCES
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) published a “second generation” vision outlining a series of actions and priorities “to build people’s trust that their spaces are healthy and have a positive impact not only on them, but the economy at large.”
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) released a re-occupancy assessment tool to help architects and allied professionals coordinate mitigation strategies to reduce the risks of COVID-19 within non-health care settings.
Perkins & Will published a Road Map for Return for businesses that are working through the logistics of getting employees back into office settings.
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Please take care of yourself and your neighbors.
Bart King
