Designing Post COVID-19 Buildings: Approaches for Achieving Healthy Buildings

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the accessibility, social gathering, lifestyle, and working environment to be changed to reduce the infection. Coronavirus spreads between people in several different ways. Small liquid particles (aerosols, respiratory droplets) from an infected person are transmitted through air and surfaces that are in contact with humans. Reducing transmission through modified heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and building design are potential solutions. A comprehensive review of the engineering control preventive measures to mitigate COVID-19 spread, healthy building design, and material was carried out. The current state-of-the-art engineering control preventive measures presented include ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI), bipolar ionization, vertical gardening, and indoor plants. They have potential to improve the indoor air quality. In addition, this article presents building design with materials (e.g., copper alloys, anti-microbial paintings) and smart technologies (e.g., automation, voice control, and artificial intelligence-based facial recognition) to mitigate the infections of communicable diseases.

COVID-19 and City Space: Impact and Perspectives

“…Here, however, a significant limitation has been encountered. Namely, the so-far published literature does not offer new spatial indicators and standards that would inform post-COVID-19 architectural and urban design, but the need for these has been emphasized by some authors, e.g., [160,161]. Again, a current lack of post-COVID-19 design indicators (except for those based on physical distancing measure, e.g., [162]) can be explained by the still ongoing COVID-19 crisis, and, to that end, some authors, e.g., [142,163], believe that it is still too early to bring definite conclusions on the effect of COVID-19 on design.…”

A review of facilities management interventions to mitigate respiratory infections in existing buildings

“…After a preliminary search, the research scope has been limited to essential FM activities that significantly contribute to infection control of respiratory viruses among building occupants. First, hard services, including ventilation, air-conditioning, and drainage, were included since they are widely accepted as the most significant areas contributing to airborne transmission control in the built environment [ 32 , [45] , [46] , [47] , [48] ]. Second, cleaning services were included as a critical control for fomite transmission in buildings under the soft service category.…”

Prophylactic Architecture: Formulating the Concept of Pandemic-Resilient Homes

“…The following section will represent IEQ factors (see Figure 1). In conjunction with the previously mentioned studies, a healthy home has basic needs of proper ventilation and indoor air quality (IAQ), natural light/sunlight, proper sound insulation (particularly for multi-story apartment buildings),thermal comfort in the form of adequate cooling, heating and humidity [4,12,21], views (landscapes), and green spaces [21]. Building on the foregoing, the health-oriented design guidelines for pandemic-resilient homes concept proposed by this paper include the following: (1) indoor environmental quality (IEQ): air (natural ventilation, mechanical ventilation, filtration and purification), sunlight/daylight, natural views, domestic green spaces, and acoustics; (2) space: housing type, apartment size, layout type, home advanced technology (home automation, smart kitchen, finishing materials and touchless technologies), shared spaces (lobbies, stairs, elevators, laundry rooms, etc.…”

“…According to recent research, there is a link between air pollution and the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, the most valuable mitigation strategy during the COVID-19 outbreak is practicing ventilation that would remove air particles that represent a favorable environment for the transmission of the virus [8,21]. Ventilation includes natural ventilation, mechanical ventilation (stand alone or as part of HVAC system), and filtration and purification systems.…”