Willemstad, Curaçao May 15th 2020
Will our offices still look like they did before COVID-19?
That’s a question many will probably ask now. The question can be traced back to a large number of factors that have to be taken into account in order to implement ‘Social Distancing’, within our offices.
As we return to our workplace, we can benefit from thinking about our indoor climate and the functionality, quality and effectiveness of the office. This piece of awareness of our immediate work environment is essential, first and foremost our own health and safety, but also for the people with whom we live together on a daily basis, and on the larger scale from the country of Curaçao to world level.
#6feetoffice
The Dutch branch of Real Estate Consultant Cushman & Wakefield recently brought the #6Feetoffice to life. A concept to get back to the office as soon as possible, with an emphasis on how offices can be organized and furnished after the COVID-19 era-1. With use of 6 components, a model for the adapted office is setup, with a minimum distance of minimal 1.8 metres between colleagues. This is achieved by means of signage (follow the signs) and more spacious workplaces. Hygiene measures support this concept to prevent the spread of the Corona virus. The concept brings a new balance within the (collaborative) working in the office. The expectation is that people will work more often from home or distance and this will create more space on the work floor to design workplaces that Social Distancing Proof.
Social Distancing on the work floor can be “designed” per office and/or workspace, taking into account certain (simple) principles which, apart from COVID-19, will bring great advantages for all of us.
Evidence Based Design
A well-known term in the world of hospital architecture and healthcare-related buildings, is Evidence Based Design (EBD). Research has shown the positive effects of well-designed spaces on patients health and the negative effects of poorly-designed spaces on this, including a longer recovery period. Within EBD, on the basis of ‘collected data’, dimensions of specific rooms and offices are defined, toilets, operating rooms and/or patient rooms. Also the use of colour of painted walls and the color of the light in rooms, is considered within EBD.
To a certain extent, this concept is also applicable in the design of office buildings and homes. If we apply EBD in the design of offices, it will influence how we work, the layout and use of spaces, the cooling of spaces and also, for example, efficiency in energy use. EBD is a well-founded theoretical foundation for design, in which conscious choices are made with data from research.
A similar approach, based on a slightly simpler concept is to use ‘natural sources’, using knowledge about the effect of colour, odour, amount of air and light and, for example, effect of temperature on human beings. These principles are based on the primitive relationships between man and nature and respond to our physiological properties.
Healthy Office
Various facets of a design contribute to the improvement of the indoor climate of workplaces and offices. The contemporary office has a higher social function and the question is whether and how this can go hand in hand with limiting possible viruses and/or other symptoms.
A study by (international) Buro Happold concludes that the occupation of (large) offices, in relationship to Social Distancing, can reach a maximum of 40%-2. A major impact on occupancy which will lead, among other things, to a different organisation of workplaces and meeting rooms and rules for the use of common areas such as corridors and toilets.
Our concept, ‘Healthy Office’, is a concept in which the indoor climate of an office is determined in such a way that, in addition to the (precautionary) measures to limit viruses such as COVID-19, the focus is also on the overall health of people. In addition to sufficient space between the various workplaces, there is also sufficient and appropriate lighting and consideration is made to adaptive cooling of the building. In case of new buildings, sustainable and distinctive materials are used to promote hygiene, among other things. An example is the use of copper, a material that naturally has an antibacterial effect. That is why doorknobs have traditionally been made of copper.
When we think about the indoor climate of offices, the way we clean often remains underexposed. What is especially important is how and with what cleaning takes place. A study by Ethics & Environment from the U.S.A., indicates that "most people spend 90% of their time indoors, with research into the indoor climate remaining untreated"-3.
Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is the term used to describe all health complaints (including allergies and respiratory problems) experienced by users of a building in the building itself or attributed to the indoor climate.
The harmfulness of our indoor climate is caused by, among other things, added components in building materials, such as formaldehyde (in paints and adhesives) and lack of oxygen. It often happens that the indoor climate is unhealthier than the outside air. In extreme cases, such as large cities in China, due to the high degree of pollution of the outside air, the aim is to achieve the purest indoor air, as a luxury-3.
Here in Curaçao, the challenge lies mainly in ventilation of air-conditioned areas. Within our offices, the choice of cooling systems is often made for economic reasons (not EBD), with the consequence that the amount of CO2 and oxygen is not always adequate. Where there is a shortage of oxygen in the workplace, this has consequences for our health-4 and therefore our performance.
This is also a challenge for our bedrooms, where re-circulation of air often occurs in cooled rooms, especially in the split-unit AC’s.
In our Healthy Office concept we mainly focus on characteristics to improve the function of the building (e.g. prevention of stress and electro-stress, EMF/ Electromagnetic Fields or radiation from electronic sources). appliances), preservation of materials (including corrosion protection) and further reduction of poor performance and influences (e.g. prevention of fungi and bacteria).
By becoming aware of our indoor climate, we will automatically adopt a well-considered approach to our working posture. We will spend less time sitting and/or possibly create standing workplaces, placing specific plants in spaces and apply safe technologies. Our drinking water will also be purified and be of better quality and especially cleaning will not be antibacterial (combating), but probiotic (improving).
In short, we are “sustainable”.
Effective Micro-organisms
Effective Micro-organisms, EM®, is a combination of beneficial re-generating micro-organisms that occur freely in nature and have not been manipulated and/or modified in any way. This combination, a natural composition of the Japanese scientist Prof. Dr. Teruo Higa, increases the natural resistance of the soil, plants, water, people and animals when applied, and also in the construction industry, in particular the construction material.
In contrast to combating bacteria, EM® technology nourishes the environment with natural beneficial microorganisms and leads, among other things, to the reduction of bad influences and also to the preservation of the materials. For humans, this leads to a great improvement of the sense of well-being in their environment.
The positive influence of EM® thus leads to an improvement of the quality of the indoor climate. A good example of this is the air quality. A good balance in air quality prevents the formation of fungi, among other things. Cleaning with EM® of air, floors and carpets, sanitary areas and workstations, without the strong odour and effect of synthetic cleaning agents, therefore substantially reduces the known symptoms of SBS.
What’s next?
COVID-19 as a pandemic, teaches us that we need to be more aware of our environment and especially our (indoor) environment. Not only at the office (towards the Healthy Office), but also especially our living environment and built environment (Healthy Homes & Cities). It is beneficial for health when world cities are designed on the basis of sustainable ecological principles, where man and nature are in balance.
Social Distancing will have an effect on your working environment. The challenge is to use sustainable concepts to make changes for the benefit of the staff and ultimately to optimize the business activities.
Within our Healthy Office concept, health and safety are primary concerns and we focus on a less vulnerable environment, which is prepared for possible health-threatening illnesses, especially pandemics.
We at studio DLad are happy to work with you, to design your Healthy Office.
studio DLad B.V.
Dalí Lourens Architect
studio DLad B.V. is a design studio specializing in sustainable and unique architecture.
studio DLad B.V. is part of the larger partnership TIGER architects.
Sources
1 https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/nl-nl/netherlands/six-feet-office
2 https://www.burohappold.com/articles/social-distancing-in-the-workplace
3 https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/mar/27/china-clean-air-indoor-quality-shanghai-cordis-hongqiao-filters
4 https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/chem_profiles/carbon_dioxide.html
© 2020 studio DLad B.V.