A Review on Building Design as a Biomedical System for Preventing COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Sustainable design methods aim to obtain architectural solutions that assure the coexistence and welfare of human beings, inorganic structures, and living things that constitute ecosystems. The novel coronavirus emergence, inadequate vaccines against the present severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-(SARS-CoV-2), and increases in microbial resistance have made it essential to review the preventative approaches used during pre-antibiotic periods. Apart from low carbon emissions and energy, sustainable architecture for facilities, building designs, and digital modeling should incorporate design approaches to confront the impacts of communicable infections. This review aims to determine how architectural design can protect people and employees from harm; it models viewpoints to highlight the architects’ roles in combating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and designing guidelines as a biomedical system for policymakers. The goals include exploring the hospital architecture evolution and the connection between architectural space and communicable infections and recommending design and digital modeling strategies to improve infection prevention and controls. Based on a wide-ranging literature review, it was found that design methods have often played important roles in the prevention and control of infectious diseases and could be a solution for combating the wide spread of the novel coronavirus or coronavirus variants or delta.

Architecture for a Post-COVID World

“…While academic and practitioner interest in green and healthy architecture existed before, the global impact of COVID-19 spurred on a variety of research with increasing numbers of papers in 2020 and 2021 [6,7]. Given that SARS-Cov-2 is an airborne virus, spreading primarily through the inhaling of, or contact with, aerosols and droplets, and given that airborne viruses can persist in poorly ventilated spaces, it is not surprising that a central thread common to most papers in this Special Issue are concerns relating to adequate ventilation and air exchange that need to be addressed in any post-COVID design [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Ducted (reticulated) heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, or airconditioning mechanical ventilation (ACMV) systems in those countries that do not require heating, are prevalent in most office complexes, hotels, medical and educational facilities as well many private homes.…”

“…The paper by Leng et al builds on the concept of natural ventilation and advocates, where climatologically feasible, for the use of solar (thermal) chimneys (which relies on the convection of air heated by passive solar energy) to be augmented by low-powered ceiling fans [12]. Likewise, the hospital design options discussed by Amran et al make use of large atria as suppliers of fresh outside air [13], while internal light shafts could function as room exhausts.…”

“…Engineering solutions advocated by Navaratnam [7] see the installation of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation systems to purify the air of the upper zones in a room. Concepts advocated by Amran et al [13] and Spennemann [9] propose floor or otherwise low-mounted air returns relying on positive pressure to drawn potentially contaminated air away from people's faces, with the air either expelled to the exterior or passed through filter or other purification systems.…”

“…Consequently, many hospitals were soon overwhelmed, with non-specialized wards being retrofitted, and makeshift screening chambers constructed [23]. The paper by Amran et al considers the design of future hospitals [13]. Apart from concepts such as making each ward capable of serving as a fully containable infectious diseases ward, the authors advocate a rethinking of the entire hospital layout, having due regard to the hospital workflow while at the time ensuring compartmentalization of ward space, treatment rooms/operating theatres and sections reserved for administrative functions [13].…”

“…The paper by Amran et al also draws attention to the fact that some spaces such as hospitals can act as attractants for infected people, both confirmed or asymptomatic, seeking treatment [13]. Rather than erecting ad hoc temporary screening structures [23], new hospital design needs to include the mitigation of potential spillover by reducing or compartmentalizing high risk zones for inadvertent transmission.…”