As we try to navigate our way through the impact of the coronavirus, many are addressing the possible “new normal” ways of working. In the near-term, social-distancing and sanitizing will be the focus, similar to the outline in Cushman & Wakefield's 6 Feet Office program. Companies will rotate the number of employees working in the office to keep a comfortable distance between people. This separation is the antithesis of the recently adopted "densification" approach to the workplace, where the square-footage allocated per worker was reduced. The new normal may not change the current overall square footage requirements, but will reduce the number of employees in the office at any one time. As we slowly get back to our workplace routines, companies will have cash flow on their minds, so a drastic change in space requirements may not take place initially. Most companies will keep their current floor area and adjust office occupancy via remote working. Working at home will be maintained in varying degrees, with most employees rotating the days and hours they are in the office. This will be especially true in urban areas where the use of mass transit makes social distancing challenging or impossible.
Landlords and office building owners will need to recalibrate their facilities for a post-COVID world. Newer buildings will have the edge with state-of-the-art mechanical systems that produce a higher standard of indoor air quality. Touch-free technology, such as hands-free faucets, toilets and hand dryers, will become more widely utilized. Some may even see a surge in the use of ADA-accessible entries with their touch-free access into a building. Reception desks will incorporate new means of registration that forgo physical contact such as the exchange of a photo ID. And entrance security controls leading to elevator lobbies will be upgraded from tri-pod turnstiles to touch-free barrier gates such as Gunnebo's OptiStile. Cafes and other in-building amenities may take on added importance as they become a secure option to tenants. Some cafes will introduce online ordering to remove the possibility of contact. Shared conference facilities could also benefit from an increased awareness of contagion by giving workers the option to meet with guests without risking contamination of their own office space. This will greatly depend on the landlord's servicing of these areas and the tenant’s perception that they are contagion-free environments. Older office buildings will face several challenges as they upgrade to post-COVID requirements. This is especially true for buildings without operable windows and older mechanical systems. Many of NYC’s post-war office buildings have smaller elevator lobbies and pre-ADA cabs. This may result in people waiting in line outdoors to maintain social distancing at the ground floor lobby. To mitigate the challenges of a small lobby, some landlords may consider opening up the freight elevator for tenant use. As a result, upgrades to the freight areas may be incorporated.
Furniture and finishes will also address the new normal in a variety of ways. In a turn of events, the healthcare industry may become the influencer of workplace and hospitality standards. Only recently, healthcare was looking to workplace and hospitality environments to reduce the sterility of its spaces. Now, the use of antibacterial coatings on fabrics traditionally found only in healthcare may become the norm. Having left behind the Dilbert cubicles of decades past, today's work position is typically defined by a 6-foot by 6-foot zone along a benching system. Companies such as Knoll and Steelcase offer shelving and miniature partitions to supplement their bench systems. These accessories may become perceived necessities, providing a physical barrier between each work position.
A sensitivity to possible high-contagion environments is likely to continue until there is a vaccine for COVID-19. As the fear of contamination subsides, many technologies will have scaled up dramatically to meet the demands of working remotely. One example of widespread adoption is the video conferencing platform Zoom. Within just a few months, Zoom became the go-to platform for large-group, online meetings primarily due to its ease of use. Like all new technologies and ways of conducting business, necessity is the mother of invention.
Prior to the pandemic, Rem Koolhaus' one-man show at the Guggenheim Museum in NYC addressed a variety of perspectives on urban and rural life. This exhibit, titled Countryside - The Future considers the (Re)-Population of the countryside. The coronavirus will add to the discussion as many urban dwellers who had the opportunity to flee the confines of their city apartments migrated to their rural retreats. One could posit some forms of habitation will flip, whereby the rural home becomes the primary residence and the urban home is reserved for short-term, work-week visits. Others may never return to the density of the city, causing a redistribution of populations. This was the case when Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida, causing a mass-migration upstate. Many people never returned to Miami, Ft. Lauderdale or Palm Beach once they were exposed to the benefits of living in Central Florida. Some of these short-term changes will eventually become part of the long-term “new normal” in NYC. Hurricane Sandy changed the way we address building in flood zones, and the traumatic event of 9/11 changed how we construct an office building’s core and shell.
We should endeavor to make these short-term changes become opportunities for long-term improvement in the way we work. As a result, sustainable workplace initiatives once seen as electives may become requirements, resulting in a healthier “new normal.”
Article written by Sarah Gerber, AIA - Commercial Studio Director