When we shouted “Happy New Year!” and made our resolutions for 2020, no one expected that we’d be living through historic events in the form of a global pandemic. COVID-19 has thrown the entire globe for a loop and left us struggling to adapt to a world in which masks and hand sanitizer have earned a permanent place alongside our wallet, phone and keys as things we never leave the house without.

Our habits aren’t the only thing that COVID is changing. How is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting building designs and layouts?

Understand How It Spreads

When the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the official beginning of the pandemic back in March 2020, there were a lot of unanswered questions. We only had the vaguest idea of how the virus was spreading and what we needed to do to keep ourselves safe.

All these months later, it’s easier to stay healthy and help keep our teams that way because we understand that the virus is primarily spread by aerosol particles exhaled by infected persons. Our understanding of the virus has evolved, and so too has its impact on industries around the globe. With a vaccine on the horizon, building design and layout may be forever changed. How has the virus impacted the way we design our homes and offices?

The End of the Office Building?

Even if you couldn’t build out because of space constraints, there was nothing stopping you from building up, with the goal of fitting as many people into a building as was safely possible. While this helped to keep everyone on the same page and under the same roof, it also provided the perfect breeding ground for viral transmission.

The design of the modern office building may be on its last legs, especially with remote work proving a viable option that many companies may continue even when the pandemic is over. Companies will need to reconsider whether or not investing in massive office spaces is still worth the expense when they can get just as much or even more done with their entire team working from living rooms and dining room tables around the globe.

More Space for Fewer People

Companies that are working toward bringing people back into the office are finding that they can no longer afford to cram their team members in like sardines. This will likely remain the case even after a vaccine becomes readily available and the pandemic is declared officially over. Spaces that once accommodated large numbers of people will need to be altered to accommodate fewer individuals in the same space.

It will likely be a long time before we forget the lessons and habits ingrained in us by the 2020 pandemic, so social distancing and six-foot spaces between cubicles and offices will probably continue to be the norm for months or years to come. Engineers and contractors will likely find themselves tasked with creating new offices that accommodate these restrictions as well as modifying existing spaces.

Prioritizing Outdoor Space

The push to make both homes and office spaces greener and more sustainable will take a new shape as we move through the pandemic and into the COVID-free future we’re all dreaming about. Instead of just focusing on sustainability, while that is still a priority, new offices are prioritizing outdoor spaces where employees can spend time and collaborate safely, even if they’re still six feet apart.

Staying indoors increases the risk of COVID transmission by up to 20 times, so there could even be arguments made to move some offices entirely outdoors — weather permitting, of course.

Altering Existing Spaces to Slow the Spread

We’re not going to start tearing down existing office buildings in most cases, but there will need to be some changes to ensure they’re safe to use again. Improved ventilation, as well as UV sterilization in the ventilation systems, are both options, but this is also the perfect opportunity to revamp existing structures to make them greener and more eco-friendly.

Forward to a COVID-Free Future

We’re all looking forward to the potential for a COVID-free future — or at least a future where vaccines and precautions allow us to resume something of a normal life. The impacts of the pandemic are going to reach a lot further than anyone previously anticipated, and its effects will be felt for many years to come.

Author Bio: Jane is an environmental writer who covers topics in sustainable construction and green building materials and the editor-in-chief of Environment.co.

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