This is How Our Public Spaces Will Look Like in the Post-Pandemic Age
A simple tool for small businesses and corporations to redesign the space they operate in
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of our lives and will have a lasting impact on the architectural design of our public spaces. If limiting physical contact succeeded in flattening the initial curve, we must prepare for what comes next. It is estimated that intermittent periods of social distancing may be required, even after lockdown measures are relaxed and eventually lifted.
Regaining our freedom of movement and the ability to socialize in a physical setting are not only essential if we are to restart our economy, but it also is a fundamental emotional need (1). However, we may have to reconsider our ways of existing in public spaces.
The danger is that a hasty return to “normalcy” might risk a flare-up in Covid-19 cases (2). A paper published in the journal Science suggests that a re-emergence of the virus might periodically occur over the next four years. Physical distancing measures may need to be kept in place for years, and some could even become permanent. Anticipating these new norms are therefore paramount in allowing us to better adapt ourselves to prolonged physical distancing standards (3). As Hong Kong physician, specialized in infectious diseases and public health preparedness, Vernon Lee announced: “We’re here for a marathon, not a sprint, so we want it to be sustainable.”(4).
Soon, the lockdowns we currently see implemented all around the world will come to an end. When they do, the responsibility of preventing future outbreaks from happening is going to fall not only on the shoulders of policy-makers and individuals, but also on businesses as disparate as restaurants, theaters, and retail stores.
A distancing-aware design of public spaces could help businesses open up while prioritizing public safety. These safe designs could also encourage those of us who remain reluctant to go out, in doing so helping businesses turn the corner on the economic fallout.
In recognition of these issues, Asynth announces the rollout of a new tool for SpaceDesigner3d, called the Physical Distancing Tool. PDT was devised with the needs of interior designers, event planners, and businesses with a physical presence in mind to help them create designs that adhere to social distancing safety standards. In PDT, they have an intuitive and easy-to-use tool which — combined with an array of highly-customizable features that already exist in Space Designer 3D — is going to be a powerful aid in coming up with a new design for a safe environment for their customers and employees.
Below, here are a few examples of what PDT-enhanced designs can look like in practice.
Examples for new designs
Restaurant: Strategically speaking, we will be able to gather intel and ideas from Mainland China and Hong Kong, countries which have been battling the coronavirus for the longest. Since the end of March already, restaurants in Hong Kong “have been limited to 50% of normal capacity, with no more than four to a table, and they must check patrons’ temperatures at the door and provide hand sanitizer” (5). This shows how public outings have been handled since the start of the crisis, and how they will continue, for some time, to be handled post-Covid-19.
Co-working space: While a fair amount of companies are expected to continue on with remote work after the crisis is over and never look back, those planning on returning to work from a shared space are going to rethink their ways of doing so in fundamental ways. The concept of “office” may need an overhaul with a fresh look at things like the arrangement of chairs and desks, bathroom designs, meeting rooms, auditoriums, and of course, the office kitchen.
Retail store: Retail businesses with a physical presence will need new designs for their aisles, showrooms, changing rooms, lockers, just to name a few. There could be special considerations depending on the particulars of the activity a given business is pursuing such as car dealerships, fast-fashion stores, personal electronics. SpaceDesigner3d allows them to have custom items in their designs which combined with PDTs could be a powerful tool in helping businesses re-plan their spaces.
We acknowledge that tackling the Covid-19 pandemic is a highly complex challenge, international and interdisciplinary by its very nature. However, until an effective vaccine is deployed at a global scale, here at Asynth we’re doing our part in helping societies stay safe and healthy, as they look to reopen their economies and return to a life that resembles the one they had before.
