Effect of Covid-19 on architecture

[Stephen Tashi]

Will the Covid-19 pandemic have an effect on architecture?

Speculations:

1. Buildings for restaurants, banks, and other retail businesses will be designed to provide ample drive-up service.

2. Factories will be designed to provide "social distancing" between employees.

3. The porches and entrances of homes will be designed to facilitate secure delivery of packages and other goods.

4. Hospitals will be designed with wards that can be quickly converted to ICU wards.

Perhaps something can be done for sports stadiums, movie theaters, and auditoriums - design them so its easy to close or remove seating when they need to keep people further apart?

 

[BillTre]

I went to a hamburger takeout place yesterday.
While waiting for my order I noticed the way the airflow was design (sucking air out of a large room from above where the cooking occurred, at the back of the room) drew air in from customers (not all masked) toward the masked and gloved employees doing food prep.
This seemed to me non-optimal in that:

• the customers were a more likely source of contamination
• the food was in the path of the airflow

While I like the idea of large rooms and air turn over, this seemed like it could be improved upon.
However, I don't know if there is some code about exhausting air from the cooking area, but I would not be surprised if there is.

To preserve the cooking area exhaust and keep air turnover in the waiting area, while prevent customer derived air from the food prep area would seem to require a wall of some kind, or modifying the air flow (air supply between the customer and cooking area, additional air exhaust in customer area, or both).

 

[256bits]

They put up plexiglass barriers after 911 in bank wickets and some places.
Over time these were removed, as people began to feel more secure.

And now they are put back up again for a different reason.
Some additions will stay, and others removed ever time.

I forget when the glove thing for fast food joints became the thing, several years back.
That will probably stay.
As will the squirt of alcohol dispenser, but remembering to fill it up should wane off after a while.
As will the 6-foot X's for standing line.

Those are not architecture per se, but just giving the idea that people, and authorities, and business will pick and choose.

 

[256bits]

o preserve the cooking area exhaust and keep air turnover in the waiting area, while prevent customer derived air from the food prep area would seem to require a wall of some kind, or modifying the air flow (air supply between the customer and cooking area, additional air exhaust in customer area, or both).

Ventilation is all coded, either nationally and or sub- governments adding on.
A municipality might decree that smoke ( wood burning pizza places ), from cooking, cannot be directly deposited into the atmosphere, but has to be treated.
Some buildings would have to be completely gutted and re-modeled to conform to stringent air quality standards that might be contemplated. Grandfather clauses for the vast majority of presently standing buildings would be asked for.
Who knows - they passed laws banning smoking in public places, and at first some kicking and screaming from certain businesses ( bars and restaurants ), but now not a peep as it is an accepted social custom.

Hospitals already have positive and negative pressure for sensitive areas, and air exchange guidelines, either to keep bugs in or to keep bugs out. I don't see much change there.