Post-COVID-19 Meeting Spaces

With COVID-19 affecting the entire world, a new concept has entered our daily life: 'PANDEMIC.' Epidemics have always been present in human life since ancient times, and these diseases have led to the reevaluation of architectural designs, such as the development of sewer systems in response to epidemics like 'Cholera.'

The pandemic reminded us how our offices, where we spend almost half of our day, often lack basic necessities like fresh air and sunlight. With the transition to normalcy while maintaining social distancing after lockdowns, rethinking and redesigning offices have become inevitable.

It seems that in new offices, technological infrastructure, spaces maintaining social distance, connections to the open air, use of daylight, and safe entry and exit for healthy work environments will be the fundamental criteria for design. Although companies utilizing technology to the fullest can allow their employees to work from home on certain days or hours to maintain a limited number of employees in the office, or maintain social distance in spacious areas, the need for individual interaction will continue. Therefore, in 'meeting spaces', where this interaction will mostly occur, new essential requirements should not be overlooked.

Hygiene equipment - sterilization and monitoring

Maintaining hygiene conditions, such as frequent hand disinfection and regular cleaning of surfaces, is crucial, especially in meeting spaces that necessitate working together. Constant accessibility to hygiene equipment and regular sterilization of the space before and after meetings are necessary. Monitoring air quality and microbial measurements in the environment, even displaying them on a screen, is important for the psychological comfort of participants.

Minimizing contact surfaces

It is possible to minimize contact surfaces in offices with smart mechanisms. Both in terms of increasing general area width, hence social distancing, and reducing the potential for virus and bacteria harboring when not in use, these mechanisms are important.

Cleanable surfaces

Materials used in furniture or construction finishes should be selected from those suitable for frequent cleaning and alcohol contact. One of the important design criteria in offices is acoustic performance. Porous surfaces that enhance a product's acoustic performance can pose challenges for cleanliness. Instead, panels covered with fabrics that provide sound insulation can be preferred.

Standardization

The social distance specified by official institutions, 1.5-2 meters, should be recalculated for long meetings and spaces deprived of natural ventilation and sunlight, and the number of people and seating distance for that meeting should be standardized according to the area and volume of the space. Similarly, meeting duration should be standardized based on the physical criteria of the space and the number of people.

Touchless technology and video conferencing

Tech savvy companies have been conducting some meetings via video conference systems for a long time, achieving significant time savings. The pandemic has shown us that many decisions and presentations can be made and conducted without time and space constraints, thanks to technological possibilities. Business runs either way...

İklima ŞENOL GÖNENÇ
Architect
Founder of İklima Şenol Architecture

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