We have always prided ourselves on creating functional, safe, beautiful spaces, but we can honestly say we never saw this coming. We were often focused on bringing people together, not keeping them apart: designing lobbies to greet and welcome people en masse rather than one at a time. Now we’re asking ourselves how that will work and how that will look, and truth is it depends on the building and the people using it. So instead of trying to create universal solutions, we’re instead considering universal questions that create resilient and adaptable spaces:

New Lobbies

• How do we enhance the entry sequence?
• How does reception work right now and in the future?
• What can we make touchless?
• What does elevator access, load, and interaction look like?
• How can we seamlessly implement elements like UV air purification without anyone even noticing?

Tenant Wellness

• What does flexibility look like now?
• How can we make the stairs not only more welcoming but the preferred method of level travel?
• Where do we integrate areas of wellness?
• How can we increase the feeling of cleanliness and wellness through materials?
• How do we utilize daylight as a disinfectant as well as a health promoter?
• How can we integrate interstitial outdoor/green spaces into buildings?

Communal Spaces

• How can we create more a more touchless restroom experience?
• How can we use materials and lighting to enhance and reinforce sanitary practices?
• How do we provide break spaces that focus on social connections while maintaining physical distancing?
• How can environmental graphical cues help create and reinforce new habits and ways of movement?
• How can we integrate technology and increase flexibility into conference and meeting areas?
• How can we use furniture to create flexible spaces?