resilience and biophilic design.
We’re in a building and construction downturn, that’s for sure. But there’s an upside too, and it can ultimately lead to progress and growth if we run with it.
Right here in Atlanta, at the corner of Ivan Allen and West Peachtree, a project that’s been in limbo for 10 years is reborn not only in the midst of a pandemic but because of it.
Fifty “was designed in response to COVID-19, and we are launching it now to fill a critical need for COVID-responsible building design in the market,” says Alexander Hay of Drapac Capital Partners. “It reflects the future of work and the shift towards a balanced and greener future and the need for safer work environments. The design is anchored on the idea that tenant wellbeing must be the top priority to create a successful building and lasting concept.”
Putting the wellbeing of occupants first. Thinking about who we build for and what they need. Designing spaces that connect us with our environment. These ideals point us squarely toward biophilic design.
“Covid-19 has accelerated the healthy buildings movement. The plexiglass will go away, but the attention to air quality, water quality, lighting and acoustics will stay,” says Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Biophilic design emphasizes that “all organisms exist within connected and related environments bound together as integrated wholes or ecosystems. When the habitat functions in the best interests of the organism, the ecosystem performs at a level greater than the sum of its individual parts.”
The pandemic hit like a ton of bricks, so our collective response has been a bit awkward, to put it kindly. I mean, plexiglass partitions between desks in kindergarten? Come on.
So now’s our time to catch up. Like all modern human endeavor, progress ultimately springs from innovation. This is where designers, architects and engineers shine. It’s time for the clever, enduring, revolutionary solutions to come into play.
Justin Chan Photography
Take a cue from the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech:
Optimizing natural light and air circulation via operable windows, fans and open spaces
Harnessing site-specific daylight patterns to reduce energy demands and generate energy
Creating a net positive water cycle by converting rainwater to drinking water and managing waste water for landscaping
Creative materials sourcing, including felled trees from the campus
Focus on equitable design both inside and out, such as gardens accessible to all members of the public and gender-inclusive facilities
“Our societal resilience is being tested,” says Lou Cornell, CEO of WSP USA.
Climate change is raging. COVID-19 has brought the world to its knees. And both have only made more painfully clear the vast inequities in our society and the systems that run it. It’s all connected, you see. And in order to thrive, we must adapt.
Adaptation means change, and change requires conscious effort. But it all hinges on our resilience as a society and as a species.
“We’re seeing a renewed interest in what it means to be resilient,” says Rachel Bannon-Godfrey, Principal and Discipline Leader: Sustainability–Buildings with Stantec.
I say hallelujah! It’s about time.