Global Impact of COVID on Design Ecosystem
The World Health Organization declared coronavirus a global pandemic one year ago today. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the human activity like no other. It’s been a time for many designers to refocus and reconsider how they design products, buildings, and towns.
Coronavirus has sounded an alarm
This involves paying more attention to the atmosphere and the human effects on the planet.
“In effect, the coronavirus has sounded an alarm,” said Sun Dayong, founding partner of architecture firm Penda.
Many of the designers were optimistic that the pandemic would result in improvement, with a greater emphasis on people.
Disasters have been catalysts for major changes in architecture
There have been disasters in the past that served as catalysts for dramatic changes in architecture.
Virgil Abloh, the founder of Off-White, believes that designers would need to be adaptable to make these improvements.
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“For me, the pandemic highlighted the need for companies, designers, and developers, as well as whole countries, to be adaptable. They’ve faced devastating pandemics in the past, but we’ve continued to crowd its narrow streets and theatres in the centuries since “he said
The challenge, according to Chinese architect Ma Yansong, will be to design cities that are healthy but not isolating.
“Even if the pandemic persists for the next few years,” he said, “an ideal city should still represent our model for living, rather than being a capsule that will only isolate people.”
Response
Working remotely, technology, infrastructure, services, and support were all areas where the design industry made essential improvements and adjustments. Participants in focus groups showed varying levels of preparedness, with some reporting a smooth transition and others reporting a longer period of change. Transitioning clients to a virtual working partnership was also a challenge for designers.
Designers worked together to come up with ideas. Client needs change as a result of the pandemic’s increased understanding of the environment’s position in health, and practitioners shifted to meet new demands. Medical specialists, HVAC engineers, and industrial hygienists in project teams were listed by participants from large companies in particular. Some collaborated with product creators to create novel solutions.
Changes in design
Designers anticipate significant changes in their workflow. Designers recognize the need for improvement in areas such as furniture, fixtures, and equipment selection, manufacturing, supply chain, and distribution and installation.
Designers foresee dramatic improvements in entertainment venues and shared living facilities, and development has always been future-focused as it identifies better options for people.
Home design changes are expected to meet current and future needs, such as more developed office space or workstations, more technology in the home, clean living, more defined e-learning space or workstations, and enhanced outdoor living options.
Not only in terms of how a virus spreads but also in terms of how connectivity and communication are fostered to promote social well-being, major improvements are needed in public spaces.
Following the pandemic, new priorities emerged, with air quality and spatial architecture at the top of the list of spatial components that need more development post-COVID-19.
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Building health and exercising resilience
It will be more necessary than ever to establish faith in design. Designers must illustrate the importance of development by demonstrating the effect it has on the human experience by proven outcomes.
Clients will be more mindful of health and wellbeing as a result of the increased focus. Designers focus on people and strive to develop solutions that meet their needs, including the most basic physiological need for health and wellness. As a result, they must continue to educate themselves and their clients about the effect that design has on people’s lives.
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