Architecture in the Age of Corona

It's the Spring of 2020 and COVID-19 has much of the world in one form of seclusion or another. How, I ask myself, will this international trauma affect architecture? Economics will have clear effects on the building industry, but my question focuses on new design standards.

In 1991, Sadaam Hussein attacked Israel with SCUD rockets. Ever since, every Israeli residence has come equipped with a security room designed to withstand rocket attack and be accessible to civilians within mere seconds.

As ridiculous as it may seem, Israelis were able to come to terms with life under the constant threat of rocket attack because they had these rooms. The experience of the stay-at-home lockdown is arguably far less traumatic, but will undoubtedly have repercussions to how we lead our daily lives from now on.

Initial signs of things to come point to a focus on personal hygiene. Businesses have attached soap dispensers next to their doors, filling them with anti-bacterial gel. This action serves two purposes:protecting the business and its employees from viral infection and advertising the business’s conscientiousness – encouraging concerned patrons to give them their trust.

Similarly, face masks are required and body temperatures are being checked either by a hand-held thermometer or by computer terminal. These threshold inspections redefine the experience of entering a business – not a trivial matter at all in any industry. How will architects in Israel approach new -- or redesign existing -- waiting rooms, lobbies, store fronts, and transportation hubs?

Residences as well will begin to adapt in accordance with new public norms. Most homes have a shelf or other area near the door where one can drop his keys or place the mail. Will boxes for face-masks become ubiquitous near-door accoutrements? Imagine suddenly being called to the door by the bell, will new forms of screen doors come into play allowing people to talk at the doorstep without risking the transfer of infection? Will doors or door frames come equipped with temperature readers?

Architects in Israel who are familiar with hospital and scientific lab design are already familiar with anti-contamination strategies. Control of air flow is an effective tool. Shallow wells filled with a sticky solid substance precede door thresholds, removing dirt and sanitizing shoe soles. And an increased number of sinks, strategically placed and using hands-free technology, is ubiquitous.

This latter aspect will have a great impact in the near future. I can imagine compact, hands-free washing stations finding themselves near entrances of both commercial and residential units. Some may require new plumbing schemes, others might find a way to work with a refillable water tank or an alternative technology using UV light or heat.

Interestingly, a similar design element has long distinguished certain projects here in Israel. Jewish tradition has made hand-washing a ritual and hygienic priority. Many homes and restaurants provide special sinks near eating areas so that the customers and guests can wash hands in style, without having to enter the kitchen or bathroom. Indeed, many religious Jews prefer to separate the toilet area of the bathroom from the bathing and hand-washing areas. Thus one could quickly determine just from looking at the sinks in a floor plan whether the property was being designed for a religious client. Those days may be behind us as clients from all walks of life request their architects and interior designers to include washing stations in more public areas of the household. Restaurants may also begin to offer readily accessible washing stations near their entrances, just as architects in Israel regularly implement in Kosher restaurants today.

The international response to the rapid spread of COVID-19 has been an amazing combination of government regulation and civil cooperation. The long-term response to COVID-19 will undoubtedly express itself in a similar confluence of new design regulations and creative solutions geared towards living in the shadow of an increasingly common threat.