All across the country, more and more states are starting to relax their stay-at-home orders and resume normal activity. While some states are going full steam ahead, others are taking a much slower, wait-and-see approach. One of the biggest question as we head into this next phase of living with the coronavirus is how to safely reopen stores, offices and restaurants, and start to return to life as normal.
As the country starts to reopen, associations and companies are coming out with guidelines to help adjust to life after a pandemic. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently released a new Re-occupancy Assessment Tool aimed at providing strategies for limiting exposure to COVID-19 in buildings. Developed by AIA’s Disaster Assistance Committee, the Re-occupancy Assessment Tool provides public officials, businesses and architects with practices to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public, while businesses, stores, restaurants, etc., reopen. It specifies a framework of strategies and general mitigation measures aimed to help reduce exposure to COVID-19.
AIA President Jane Frederick, FAIA, said, “Design is a response to the conditions, needs and functions of our society. This may be the most pivotal and defining moment in our lifetime for design. Architects are needed in this crisis to help safely transition our communities back to offices, schools and the many other places that are important in shaping our daily lives.”
Using credible sources, the multidisciplinary team of architects, public health experts, engineers, product designers and facility managers evaluate behavioral, spatial, material and operational strategies to customize the tool for a variety of buildings, including offices, K-12 schools, multiunit dwellings, retail establishments, restaurants and senior care facilities.
Findings will be released in phases, with priority on strategies that address immediate needs. Additionally, long-term strategies will be developed for making buildings more resilient in the face of pandemics, natural hazards, climate change and other risks. More information can be found at: www.aia.org/resources/6292441-reoccupancy-assessment-tool.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) also released a new strategy called Healthy People in Healthy Places Equals a Healthy Economy to support economic recovery as the country works to flatten the COVID-19 curve. Based on the idea that prioritizing the health of people, communities and the planet is the fastest way to rebuild a healthy, more sustainable economy, the strategy outlines immediate and long-term actions to support buildings and communities.
Under the new strategy, USGBC is set to update current LEED strategies in LEED v4.1 to support indoor environmental quality, cleaning, occupant comfort, operations, better materials and risk management, while finding ways to introduce new approaches given the current coronavirus crisis.
Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of USGBC, said, “We know that LEED is the key to a prosperous future. Sustainability is central to creating jobs, saving energy and saving money, all of which are part of the backbone of a strong economy. But strong economies must also support the people who make them run. Going forward, we will prioritize our efforts to build trust in people that their buildings and spaces are healthy and positively impacting their communities.”
As we start to move forward and reopen buildings, many architecture and building companies have put forth their own guidelines on how to open safely. Our offices, schools and buildings may look a little different when we come back to them in the coming weeks and months. Hopefully the changes we put in place will prevent another pandemic from wreaking complete havoc on our lives, as this has in the past few months.
