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Like countless businesses across the country, ArchitectureEL adapted its business model to the necessity for quarantine and social distancing. This included configuring computers for employees to take home to use as remote work stations, scheduling online meetings for staff and client management, and restricting office occupancy to periodic solo visits. On site meetings were eliminated, or conducted as independent inspections. As the weeks wore on, PPE standards were established, and internal discussions turned to if not when, but how, we would provide a work environment our employees would feel safe to work in and our clients confident to visit. What emerged was a four part plan that illustrates how dramatically the office environment must change, and how thoughtful planning and design can help chart a path forward.

Office Planning and Layout We began by critically examining the office layout. [See Figure1] As architects, we had the benefit of an up to date floor plan of the office on which to base our evaluation. We critiqued our plan according to the primary requirements to inhibit transmission of the virus between office occupants.

• High touch zones: Places such as reception areas, conference tables, and break areas are susceptible to high degrees of touch and hence viral transfer. Mitigating touch zones primarily requires a rigorous house cleaning regimen. A pre-day, mid-day, and post day wipe down schedule was established to keep these areas free of contamination. These areas are required to be wiped down after each use as well. This is the first line of defense in the office use plan.
• Office pedestrian traffic: The circulation pattern of the office was scrutinized. Two-way pedestrian traffic should be minimized or eliminated, as this arrangement has a greater risk of exposure to the passersby. A one-way circulation pattern was minimizes face to face exposure. In the case of the AEL office, this meant circulating around a central wall separating the reception area, and identifying areas where masks should be worn if a particular work space is occupied.
• Separation of work areas: Persons working at desks should not be less than 6 feet apart. This presents a problem for most office layouts, where desks and cubicles are next to each other. Two solutions to this issue were considered; occupying every other desk on an alternating schedule, or installing full height partitions to reduce exposure between the neighboring desks. The scattered occupation/scheduling option proved to be most practical for the ArchitectureEL operations plan. Even with partitions installed between desks, the risk of exposure would be much greater with the higher occupancy and shared air space. When separation of reception, personnel work space, conference and common areas were taken into account, it was determined that the practical maximum occupancy ofthe AEL office space was reduced from 10 to 3 or 4 persons. [See Figure 2] This is a drastic change from the prior occupancy, and illustrates the dramatic impact COVID planning has on the office environment.

Scheduling Once a scattered office scheme was adopted as the most practical solution, the next task was to determine a schedule for occupying the office. The AEL office is a matrix of teams and their respective projects. A rotating schedule of project managers with overlap between team members allowed the office to meet at half the former capacity. The schedule is flexible and adaptable, and is expected to vary week by week. An upside to the weeks of quarantine and working remotely is that the project teams learned how to work effectively from home. This new skill became an asset in the return to work strategy. Persons are encouraged to work from home whenever feasible, and create a workable balance between the office and home working environment. While many found working from home challenging due to school closures and other factors, this arrangement has great potential to provide a benefit and improve the work/life balance long term. When managed properly, working from home eliminates commutes, allows flexibility for personal schedules, and contributes to office health by significantly reducing potential contact and exposure. Says Kevin Rothschild-Shea, Principal of ArchitectureEL: “I do not think we will return to a 100% office based work environment. Working from home has showed us that we have the technology and capability to function effectively wherever we are located, and I would hate to lose that. I would rather apply it to our benefit to provide a more varied, flexible and positive relationship with our work”.

Protocols and Procedures Having established optimal seating and scheduling arrangements, standard operating procedures were drafted to reinforce best practices for the health of the office occupants. ArchitectureEL broke this down into three facets:

• Verification and reporting: Employees agreed to sign a commitment letter to adopt and adhere to the new measures put in place as a vital tool to keep the office healthy. To this end, every staff member is responsible for monitoring their temperature, signing a daily register verifying their temperature is within acceptable range, and informing management if they have been in contact with a person who tested positive or has reason to believe they are infected with COVID-19.
• On-site meetings: The Meetings on site are to be conducted solo whenever possible. Arrangements can be made for a building or site to be accessible to the AEL representative, who may conduct inspections and perform necessary tasks without coming into contact with another person. Appropriate PPE is to be worn at all times. If a meeting with additional persons is required, meetings will be conducted outside or within a well ventilated space. All persons are to wear PPE and space themselves a minimum of six feet apart. Meetings are to be of the shortest possible duration for the task required.
• In Office Work: When working in the office, employees occupy desks as outlined in the office occupation plan, noting that certain areas of the office require wearing PPE if a desk adjoining that area is occupied. Employees are encouraged to work from home when practical, and limit their time in the office during times of high occupation.

Office Environment While seating layouts, rotating schedules, and hygienic practices significantly reduce the opportunity for exposure to and transmission of COVID-19, a lingering element of risk remains, that of the indoor air shared by those occupying the office. Upon examining the earliest known cases of the spread of COVID- 19, researchers determined that an infected person in a restaurant was able to spread the virus to a great number of the other diners by way of the HVAC system. This means that personnel in an office environment may be exposed to the virus even if spread out from each other. Mandating masks at all times seemed impractical. Treating the interior air to reduce the likelihood of transmission is possible, and can be achieved in three primary ways:

• Increased ventilation: Increasing the amount of outside air brought into the office helps to turn over and dilute the amount of air recycled by the occupants, and the ArchitectureEL office has a shared HVAC system, but is fortunate to have operable windows. Increasing air exchange at the HVAC system increases energy consumption. An ERV, or Energy Recovery Ventilator, will reduce the amount of energy wasted through the increased air turnover. Windows may be opened on fair days, but such days are limited in number in Western New England.
• Air filtration/UV sterilization: In addition to adjusting the amount of outside air taken into the indoor environment, the air passing through the HVAC system may be aggressively filtered and sterilized. Filters are available that will effectively trap viral particles. The clean air may then be exposed to ultraviolet radiation to further sanitize the air before returning it to the office space. While air filtering may appear to be an effective solution, there are significant drawbacks to this approach that go beyond the cost of adding the equipment to the system. High capacity filters extract a higher energy use toll on the system. Electrostatic filters perform better in this regard but come at a higher cost. Filters must also be maintained or replaced regularly to remain effective and energy efficient. Lastly, it is not possible to move all the air served by the system through the filter. There will be pockets of static air that never make their way through the system.
• Bi-polar ionization: This technology performs in the opposite way of a filter. Rather than attempt to pass the entire interior air volume through a filter, charged ions are generated and dispensed into the spaces, either by way of a stand-alone unit or via the HVAC system. The charged particles attach themselves to the dust and contaminates in the air, causing them to drop to the ground. Moreover, the ionic activity effectively neutralizes viruses, mold, bacteria and airborne dust. In this way, the space itself becomes a filter. The technology is proven, relatively inexpensive, and in wide use in hospitals and high occupant venues. The cleaner air does have a byproduct in the form of dust buildup. Housekeeping measures should be increased accordingly to wipe down the dust that will accumulate on horizontal surfaces. System maintenance requires replacing the unit’s tubes every two years.

After consideration of the options above, ArchitectureEL opted to install a stand-alone bi-polar ionization system. In addition to being the least impact and an effective option to battle coronavirus, the cleaner air will also be of benefit to those with allergies or other respiratory problems.

Conclusion The coronavirus outbreak has dramatically changed the office landscape. Return to work planning to requires an in depth analysis of how a business functions, and how it can adapt to accommodate best practices to avoid transmission between personnel and foster a healthy work environment. In addition to office planning, personnel schedules, housekeeping, PPE protocols and mechanical systems must work in concert to provide an effective safeguard against exposure to corona virus and other emerging pathogens. ArchitectureEL provides the planning and expertise to meet the needs of this new standard in the workplace.

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Governor Charlie Baker said, “This legislation is critical, will unlock the potential of our cities and towns committed to responsible growth, development and enacting best practices in sustainable housing production and we are committed to working with stakeholders and our partners in the legislature to make it a reality.”

This will lead to sustainable housing development that meets the needs of our current and future residents.

You can read more about the new legislation here.

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Before we can begin construction, additional funds are required. The Veterans Memorial Committee has a fundraising campaign underway to support this project and hope you will join us in this mission. Come see local Veterans serve as celebrity bartenders at Mario’s Cafe Ambiance on February 19th from 5pm-8pm. All proceeds from the event will support the construction of this memorial.

You can get all of the event details here.

Thank you!

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Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Take Inventory
   Before redecorating, see what you already have first.
2. Get Rid of Everything You Don’t Love
   As Marie Kondo would tell you: if it doesn’t spark joy, away it goes!
3. Get Focused
   Don’t get overwhelmed by looking at the house as a whole. Work on redesigning one space at a time.
4. Get Inspired
   Check out local design blogs/magazines, check out a museum exhibit, or explore in nature to find inspiration. You can use resources like Pinterest to create a vision board for each room – just be careful to focus on colors and overall feel vs. getting attached to specific pieces of furniture.
5. Work from Instinct
   Don’t get caught up in “design trends” too much. Instead work from what speaks to you.
6. Small Changes, Not Complete Overhauls
   To make a big impact, you don’t have to completely overhaul a space. Try changing out your couch pillows for a new print or adding an accent wall to any room to spice things up.

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Don’t focus on the square footage: when it comes to holiday decorating, more square footage doesn’t make a home merrier. Focus on key things like family decorations that have been passed down through generations
Make furniture do double duty: No room for a big dinner party? That’s no reason to shy away from throwing a fabulous feast. “A cocktail table or bar cart can be a great alternative to traditional table seating,” Hiemstra explains. “Just drape a chic fabric over a small table or shelf, throw some sheepskins on the floor, and you’ll have a cozy place to host a fun holiday dinner.”
Choose open space – For big impact, open up walls and hallways for more livable space.
Decorate with White Berries – Red and green don’t always need to take center stage. White faux berries as garland around a tree makes for a clean and simple impactful statement piece for your holiday decor.
Go Neutral. For a more subtle look, use neutral tones to complement your evergreen.
Minimalist Home Décor. With a few key design principles and ideas, you can have your home decorated with as few as one or two large focal point items. Another idea is to simply hang some accent wreaths in the space. Wide red fabric for hanging them adds some festive color. This is a great idea if you have a certain accent color in your space! In that case, you can match the fabric the wreaths hang from to whatever accent color is in your space. This gives you a festive look and keeps to the overall style of the room.

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1. With a growing population Sustainability is becoming a priority when architects are planning. Climate change is real and it is important for businesses to have sustainable designs as many people feel passionate about saving the planet. Building structures that allow people to eliminate less gas into the atmosphere are increasing tremendously.
2. Smart cities are an urban development based on sustainability. There is a greater focus on renewable energy, transportation solutions, smart home energy management systems, and more comprehensive access to health. The smart cities are made to respond to the needs of its people. The development will allow architects to make more efficient use of resources, lower energy consumption, and build cities to maximize efficiency.
3. A large movement that goes along with sustainability and smart cities is the creation of  Greener Cities. Cities are now taking and stance and are demanding more green space. Architects are listening and now building rooftop gardens, plant walls and communal green spaces. Green areas are important as they absorb CO2, block particulate matter and prevent buildings from overheating.
4. Another emerging trend is vertical design which is moving away from horizontal landscapes and transitioning into vertical. Experts are predicting that towns will accommodate more people with less of an impact on the environment if homes are stacked on top of each other like in large cities.

Many of the emerging trends come from listening to what the people want. Climate change and sustainability are at the forefront of new designs because it is important to the consumers. Architecture is changing for the better all thanks to new technology.

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Last month we attended Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield’s networking event at The Big E with V-One Vodka ( see photos below).  We enjoy working with the Young Professional Society because they help represent the region’s corporate, non-profit, and cultural interests by engaging a younger demographic through business & career development, networking, cultural involvement, community involvement, educational opportunities, volunteerism, recreational and social activities.  We also attended the Young Professional Society event this month, Oktoberfest, at the Student Prince in Springfield for a night of appetizers and networking.

Where To Find Us Next

On Saturday November 2nd we will be running the 5k Cider Run at Ashley Reservoir in Holyoke, MA at 10am. The 5k Cider Run proceeds benefit programming and supported employment opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities in the Pioneer Valley. We have been practicing and are ready to raise money for an amazing mission. We hope to see you there too!

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