Post-COVID Trends in Building Design
It is no surprise that building designs have been evaluated closely since the pandemic. The office sector of the commercial real estate industry has been greatly affected by the shutter-in-place regulations and guidance from the CDC to have employees of non-essential companies work remotely.
While many companies are finding it feasible in some industries, this will likely not be the end of the office. The office is where careers are built, companies prosper, and corporate cultures are developed and enhanced. However, the design aspect is likely to change.
There has been a drastic shift from the communal-joint open workspace trend to increasing space with dividers and implementing advanced touchless technology to promote a spread-resistant environment or building. According to the article, “The Spread-Resistant Building and What it Will Take,” by Ted Osborne several factors are being explored for new building designs, including:
- Increase space between people to allow for social distancing
- Increase outdoor airflow
- Enhance air filtration systems
- Run air systems more often or longer
- Install indoor air cleaners
- Install CASPR devices (Continuous Air and Surface Pathogen Reduction systems) to kill 99.9% of pathogens in the air and on surfaces
- Use more easily cleaned surfaces by incorporating less fabric
- Reduce touch points
- Utilize short-wave ultraviolet (UV) light
Ted claims, “Short-term, simple fixes in office air quality, lighting, and touch points could help prevent another wave. Longer-term, we believe that the goal of spread-resistance should move closer to the front of the line in our initial design and construction consideration set.”
The existing building designs will need to be upgraded, and therefore, now is a great time to kill two birds with one stone and perform seismic retrofits for commercial real estate that is not structurally sound. It is essential to ensure buildings are structurally secure and perform commercial seismic retrofits to protect your assets and lives.
Strengthen Your Building with Saunders Seismic
As building designs evolve to meet post-pandemic safety standards, it’s crucial to ensure your property is secure. Saunders Seismic specializes in commercial seismic retrofits that not only protect your building from earthquakes but also align with modern safety enhancements.
Contact us today to learn more about safeguarding your investment with structural upgrades that provide long-term peace of mind.