Darpan Katyal
May 2020
After the COVID-19-induced lockdown, planning and preparation is on the charts for all. All companies are working on strategies to keep their employees safe and to prevent any liabilities that can arise for themselves.
There is essentially one line of thinking that is a buzz in the circuit: it’s what is call a ‘thinning down’ of workspaces by increasing the person-to-square-foot ratio. We call this ‘de-densification’.
Since the existing facilities cannot be altered so fast and with businesses taking a hit, most companies will not have the budgets to execute this concept. That is why there is talk of graded openings, or starting off offices with a lesser number of people. The idea is to initiate work with 25 percent of staff and then go on upwards, gradually.
For new projects, this idea seems far-fetched. The economy will be hit for at least a year and will take at least another year to recover, if not more. Thus, ideas that are not financially viable will be a waste of time. Increasing the per-square-foot density would mean an increase in both rental costs as well as capital investments in the project. Actually, the survival of many businesses will depend on how lean they can become and how they can operate with higher efficiencies. And this concept of de-densification doesn’t fit naturally into that thought process.
Also, when you are sharing the same space and working together in an air-conditioned environment, it’s very unlikely to not transfer infections. For example, can we practice social distancing within our homes with our families, unless we isolate ourselves in different rooms? Or why and how do we get infections from our driver, who is driving the car with reasonable social distancing, with us sitting at the back?
How can we avoid people touching surfaces where it’s been said that the virus survives for atleast 5-6 days?
We at Urbane-The Design Workshop feel that we need to think innovatively and apply the principles of design thinking to mitigate this problem.
We have come up with a three-pronged approach, a combination of which can form viable, long-term solutions for work environments:
(1) Innovative layouts;
(2) No/low touch design; along with
(3) Disinfection and sterilisation.
INNOVATIVE LAYOUTS
While planning a new facility, we can, through various layout techniques (like staggered, zig-zag and criss-cross arrangements) make people not sit in line and maintain the required distance, without reducing the total density. Also, seating arrangements of people across, facing each other, can be avoided.
Having separators between adjacent workstations is another solution that can be implemented in existing facilities. Staggering by shifting the pedestal alternatively and making people sit not inline, while facing each other, can make the arrangement more effective.
But the most effective way will be to move from an open office system to suites or cabins, with 4-6 workstations and not put too many people together in one space. This way, we will be able to contain the spread of any infection.
To make this concept feasible, the air-conditioning system design will also need to change. The segregation of each room’s air space is the key. The system of FCUs (fan coil units), like those used in hotel rooms, will provide easy segregation, without really reinventing the wheel.
The next two options are the ones that are more relevant for handling the scenario post-lockdown, as they can be integrated with existing facilities easily, and would turn out to be more successful and effective in controlling the transmission of infections.
LOW/NO TOUCH DESIGN
All office equipment, such as coffee machines, water dispensers, printers/photocopiers, taps, soap dispensers and hand-dryers can be operated by users through an app, which could be downloaded by all the workforce and operated through personal smartphones. Even electrical switches and lights can be easily automated today, without too much expense. Existing doors can be fitted with magnetic locks operated through the same app. There are technologies available with brands like Fibaro, which are more or less wireless and are designed for easy installation and integration, in the existing facilities.
This concept can be developed from ‘low-touch’ to ‘no touch’.
In newly designed facilities, all doors can be fully automatic, along with all interior elements including blinds, AV systems etc., designed as completely motorised/automated, operated through a single automation app. Sensor-based mechanisms can be integrated for common areas to avoid people touching any surfaces. There are wireless sensing technologies that can be easily installed and integrated in the existing facilities.
There are cost-effective automation solutions available today, within affordable ranges.
DISINFECTION & STERILIZATION
Our experience of healthcare projects like designing large hospitals and high-end laboratories (starting from pharmacy/path labs to clinical & analytical research labs and animal houses), has given us the knowledge and insight we need to design infection-free spaces. Over the last 25 years of our practice, we have been trying to understand the outcome of our projects through their complete life-cycles. Among other things, this has taught us effective methods of housekeeping and maintenance of such facilities as well.
The system of housekeeping and cleaning comes first and foremost for disinfecting the premises. The process of vacuuming and steam-cleaning can give you complete germ-free surfaces. Steam-cleaning pretty much sterilises the facility. It’s easily available and a quick solution. This can be done as much as twice a day, without extra manpower or cost. The cheapest solution could be to clean the whole office with a bleaching agent mixed with water.
The other important method is to use cleaning chemical agents which have disinfecting properties. But they should be carefully chosen with properties such as a low VOC so as not to harm the users. Organic agents are also available in this category.
Beyond this, a weekly sterilisation process can be followed, with fumigation being the easiest and cheapest mechanism. The fumigation of the ducting system on a weekly basis can kill all the microbes breeding inside and can access all the areas that are inaccessible.
These practices, combined with a strategic placement of sanitisers in each area and distribution of face protection gears instead of masks, can give effective results. It is important to remember that people tend to remove their masks while conversing. Breathing for long periods through a mask can also become difficult. This is why face protection gears need to be considered: they cover the complete face as people have a tendency to touch their faces and rub their eyes.
To nip the problem in the bud, most of the commercial buildings will have to install a disinfection tunnel right at the entrance, which will have to work with agents that are apt for workplace usage and don’t spoil clothes. All the workforce will have to be temperature checked, then disinfected, right before entering the premises.
Indoor air quality for the well-being of the workforce will become the most important mantra. The systems will have to be designed comprehensively, catering to three immediate problems that hurt us the most in all big cities in India:
· Indoor air pollution;
· Infections; and
· The ‘sick building’ syndrome.
Being conscious of what is called fresh air design, along with a multilayer air filter system can cater to all three issues. The design of the air-conditioning system itself needs to be based on dividing the airspace in sections or parts with independent return air. This is the most effective method to stop large-scale transmissions.
One has to understand that beyond direct transmission from the carrier, most infections occur through microbes falling on surfaces and then getting transmitted through touch or air.
These methods are far more viable and effective in controlling the spread of infections including COVID-19 but are not talked about seriously.
In newly-built facilities, post-COVID-19, the use of anti-microbial and anti-bacterial finishes that are already in use in healthcare spaces will most likely become the new norm for all building typologies, especially office buildings.
In our sub-tropical climate, corners are a major source of microbial growth as they cannot be cleaned easily. ‘Capping and coving’ corners on the floor, walls and ceilings is a very effective design mantra followed in hospitals and labs and can be easily replicated in workspaces.
To top this off, employers, companies and co-working players will have to get health insurance cover for all the employees/users and insure themselves as well against any liability arising out of spread of infections within their premises.
A certification mechanism to this effect is also not too far away and will become a new norm for all public buildings. This will have to be updated on a regular basis to be able to function without any hindrances.
The safety of employees and customers is already a major concern for most companies after the lockdown ends. Any incident can become an operational hazard and a business risk. There will be huge spending by companies for retrofitting their facilities and they will use their reserves to not only become compliant to new guidelines but also to make sure that they stay away from the liabilities and the fear of business shutdown.
This is a new opportunity for fit-out companies. It will require in-house expertise and collaborations between healthcare professionals, architects, engineers, contractors and technologists. Since our group companies, Sky Construction Company, in collaboration with our design company Urbane-The Design Workshop already have in-house expertise available along with our past experience in healthcare and the R&D field, this provides us a perfect launch pad to introduce these services within our design & build portfolio. These solutions will be customised based on each setup need and budget, and designed to be retrofit-viable.
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