How COVID-19 is Reshaping Office, Hotel and Multifamily Construction
The onset of COVID-19 caused an immediate halt to business operations across multiple industries. The worldwide pandemic nearly decimated some industries overnight, yet some are faring better than others. The most successful organizations were able to quickly adapt and find unique ways to stay relevant. With states enacting various lockdowns, social distancing measures, and business closures, many professionals speculate on the best way to bring back their workforce and patrons. Taking advantage of innovative technology to optimize business and incorporating procedures that follow safety protocols are essential steps that businesses must take to survive in 2021 and beyond.
There are various measures the hardest hit industries are implementing for the safety of both employees and customers. Let's take a look at how offices, hotels and multifamily spaces have strategized efforts to accommodate the new pandemic normal and the necessary mindfulness of future builds.
Offices - Keeping safe distances
The 90,000-square-foot Fulton East building in Chicago was under construction when the pandemic started, it's one of the first buildings in the country to incorporate features that address COVID-19 safety concerns. The building was laid out for maximum social distancing, touch-free operation with air and surface sanitization.
Flexible office flooring design of the building accommodates social distancing guidelines, there are two separate cafes and kitchens. Corridors and restrooms are built in such a way that they do not allow for sharing among tenants.
Additional health, safety and wellness highlights include a hands-free elevator system and an air and surface sanitization system that claims to reduce viruses, bacteria and mold on surfaces as well as the air.
You don't have to rebuild your entire space to be COVID cautious. As this office diagram to the right shows, you can maximize distancing with some simple furniture reorganization.
Hotels: Self-serve for everyone
Big hotel brands were already on track to switch up traditional food services prior to the pandemic; services such as cooked-to-order breakfast or self-serve meals on an open buffet. They are now taking on ready-to-eat with grab-and-go sealed food offerings.
Hotel owners and developers are putting more efforts into health-related features - state of the art ventilation systems and antimicrobial materials to ensure guests' wellbeing to name just a couple. Materials like stainless steel, porcelain, and glass, usually found in health care facilities and commercial kitchens, will begin to show up in more hotels.
Hotel communal spaces are also getting a new look, a blurring of the lines between inside and outside space are taking root. For example, full windowed walls that retract and open up to an outside courtyard. In general, increased air movement and exchanges in all spaces, bringing fresh air inside will become common practice.
Multifamily: Room to roam
Multifamily had already jumped on the "more space" game prior to COVID, but since the pandemic began, this movement has gained more attention. Spaces being included are home office space and private outdoor areas for each unit. The extra space creates living flexibility and allows for tenants to spend longer amounts of time at home more comfortably.
It’s safe to say there will be change in all types of buildings moving forward more touchless products, offering sanitization lighting and larger common areas are just a few considerations. Building owners and developers are reimagining future builds with disease-threat advertency.
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At BlueTeam we work with our clients to align their construction needs and to abide by state regulations, guidelines and brand standards. We take safety and wellness measures seriously; one of our construction experts can consult on your property to assess which efforts would benefit your business most. If you are interested in learning more about a COVID-19 retrofit or COVID-19 cleaning contact BlueTeam today.