Archinect - News

Inside MVRDV’s post-pandemic interior redesign for Shopify in Berlin

2022-07-14T09:00:00-04:00

MVRDV has offered an insight into their recently-completed interior redesign for Shopify in Berlin. The 1,000-square-meter (10,700-square-foot) renovation began before the COVID-19 pandemic but was heavily altered mid-construction to respond to post-pandemic work trends.

Photograph © Daria Scagliola

Adopting the view that individual tasks would continue to be fulfilled remotely, the pivot in Shopify’s renovation sought to maximize the building’s potential as a “base for working collaboratively with others, brainstorming new ideas, and engaging in the company’s vibrant culture.”

Photograph © Daria Scagliola

“This project gave us an exciting opportunity to think critically about how workspaces can be reimagined after 2020,” said MVRDV partner Fokke Moerel about the scheme. “Now people can work from home — and for a company like Shopify, whose work is primarily remote-first, that’s even easier. In turn, what was once an office becomes a space for employees to collaborate with intention, ...

Architects earn more from renovations than new builds for first time, fueled by workplace revolution

2022-05-10T09:00:00-04:00

Architecture firms are billing more from reconstruction and renovation projects than they are from new builds for the first time; a milestone driven by soaring demand for office renovations. In the 20 years that the AIA has been collecting data on billings for renovations versus new build projects, the share of billings received from renovations has been consistently rising for over a decade, suggesting the new milestone is not entirely attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout 2021, works to existing facilities reached 52% of architecture firm billings. According to AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, one quarter of works to existing facilities comprise adaptive reuse, with another quarter owing to conversion and basic interior modernization. 18% comprises tenant fit-outs while adding usable space and upgrading building facades or systems each comprise 10%.

“This is a l...

Employees want healthier, more sustainable offices after COVID, says survey

2021-07-06T12:14:00-04:00

Following almost two years of work-from-home orders, businesses and governments are seeking to bring employees back to traditional workplaces. While working from home will continue to form part of many businesses’ employment structures in the long term, a separate question lingers over what the office of the future may look like.

A new report by NEXT Energy Technologies titled “The Case for Office Space: How Buildings Need to Change to Suit a Climate-Conscious, COVID-Weary Workforce” suggests that many employees will only accept office environments that respond to the needs of human health and the climate crisis. NEXT’s findings, available to download here, were the result of a survey carried out among over 450 remote employees and more than 150 senior managers across business verticals, which expose areas of significant alignment and divergence over how future offices should be designed and operated.

“Employees will not settle for the offices they once had; they want healthier...

Burger King unveils new restaurant designs to address implications of COVID-19

2020-09-14T14:29:00-04:00

Burger King has unveiled new restaurant designs that are due to better serve customers in a COVID-19 world. With a focus on mobile ordering and curbside pick-up, the new designs embrace a new way of serving visitors by offering drive-in and walk-up order areas, curbside pick-up areas, an enhanced drive-thru experience, exterior dining spaces, and sustainable design elements.

The new design was created by Restaurant Brands International's in-house design team. "The designs we’ve created completely integrate restaurant functionality and technology. The restaurant of the tomorrow merges the best functional technology with unique modern design to elevate our Burger King guest experience,” said Rapha Abreu, Global Head of Design at Restaurant Brands International in a statement. “We designed the interior and exterior spaces like we had a blank sheet of paper, designing without preconceived notions of how a Burger King restaurant should look."

Conversions of existing buildings could upend America's built environment

2020-09-01T16:09:00-04:00

The pandemic is expected to drastically reshape commercial real estate, leaving thousands of vacant and underused spaces nationwide. But some developers and investors are keen to seize the chance to convert those properties into other uses.

Tom Acitelli of The New York Times investigates some of the ways in which office and commercial spaces may be rethought in coming years as conversions from previous uses facilitate a massive transformation within the American built environment on a scale that is largely without precedent.

In this shift, sagging retail spaces are being converted to e-commerce fulfillment centers while offices are being converted to housing. Because the transformation necessarily involves buildings that are already built, the shift is prompting a reconsideration of price per square foot metrics currently used to guide real estate transactions.

AIA offers strategies for retrofitting multifamily housing for pandemic use

2020-08-14T15:38:00-04:00

The latest building adaptation report from the American Institute of Architect (AIA) highlights steps that building owners and designers can take to retrofit existing multi-family homes for pandemic occupation.

Following recently published guides for schools, offices, and hospitals, AIA has issued its latest set of recommendations, titled Strategies for Safer Multifamily Housing, offering "guidance on how to combine new daily habits, the needs of workers, and stringent hygiene regimens with social, infrastructural, and spatial requirements that aim to keep everyone safe."

The guide offers a collection of strategies for bringing stronger safety precautions to multi-family spaces, including reconfiguring shared entry and package delivery spaces, reconsidering "building flow and user experience" from shared entries to elevators and hallways, as well as thoughts on how units themselves might be redesigned to accommodate the crush of overlapping uses that must now take place within the ...

The safest pandemic spaces are well ventilated

2020-08-11T16:27:00-04:00

In the months since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived across the world, much attention has been placed on how easy it is for the virus to spread in indoor spaces that lack proper ventilation.

Writing in the academic journal The Conversation, Shelly Miller, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, adds to a growing body of research highlighting the need for a greater degree of interior ventilation in order to help minimize the spread of the disease. Professor Miller writes, "The safest indoor space is one that constantly has lots of outside air replacing the stale air inside," adding, "Many buildings in the U.S., especially schools, do not meet recommended ventilation rates."

Previously on Archinect: "'Hygiene ventilation' and the case for Green Stimulus." Image courtesy of Image by Erich Westendarp from Pixabay.

Miller recommends that building operators move to increase air exchange rates within interior spaces to nine times per hour, up from the standa...

MASS Design Group publishes COVID-19 guide for retrofitting senior housing

2020-08-06T16:07:00-04:00

Mass Design Group has published its latest COVID-19 guide aimed at retrofitting and upgrading existing senior living facilities to minimize pandemic transmission. The Designing Senior Housing for Safe Interaction; The Role of Architecture in Fighting COVID-19 guide follows a strategy document published by the group earlier this year focused on adapting existing hospital spaces to better deal with a surge of patients suffering from airborne disease.

Mass Design Group's latest guide highlights the high level of infections and deaths that have taken place within these facilities and offers a bevy of approaches for minimizing the ways in which residents are exposed to the disease.

Previously on Archinect: "MASS Design Group brings pandemic design expertise to American hospital wards." A diagram showing interventions that the Mount Sinai Hospital implemented to turn this adult ICU wing into one that could treat patients who have tested positive for coronavirus. Image courtesy MASS Desig...

How is Philadelphia's convention center adapting to the pandemic age?

2020-08-04T14:12:00-04:00

Conventions and trade shows are now wrestling with the same challenges facing schools, religious groups, and professional sports. Whenever large numbers of people gather indoors, in tightly enclosed spaces with mechanical air circulation, odds are that spikes in coronavirus infections will follow.

Inga Saffron, architecture critic for The Philadelphia Inquirer, probes some of the existential questions facing large urban convention centers, massive facilities that have had their spatial and economic potentials deeply challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saffron reports on efforts to upgrade and retrofit the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia for the pandemic age as digital and alternative forms of professional and academic gatherings begin to take root in response to the need for social distancing.

The shopping mall typology is being transformed

2020-07-29T13:51:00-04:00

The slow and steady death of the shopping mall has been sped up since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now several months into the public health and economic crisis the pandemic has set off, mall owners and operators are developing specific visions for the post-mall future of American commercial architecture.

A recent report from the National Retail Federation highlights that the steady erosion of anchor tenants, foot traffic, and consumer interest in malls has been supercharged by the economic shutdown put into effect to stem the spread of the virus. Malls, of course, depend on foot traffic and crowds to thrive, and so have been fundamentally challenged by social distancing and shut down measures.

As a result, the NRF report explains, mall operators are pivoting away from shopping and toward a variety of adaptive reuse approaches that include converting old department stores into co-working spaces, adding hybrid fulfillment center uses offering "digital concierges, mobile a...

Should shuttered office buildings be converted to housing?

2020-07-24T14:20:00-04:00

As commercial and office real estate markets continue to be upended by societal shifts touched off by the COVID-19 pandemic, some economists are looking to these now under-utilized spaces as potential avenues for bringing additional housing supplies online in American cities.

Previously on Archinect: "Non-residential construction expected to decline through at least 2021." Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh from Pexels.

A recent report from nonprofit think tank RAND Corporation explains that 40% of respondents to a recent survey by the firm indicated that they are working from home, a figure that paints an uncertain picture for the millions of square feet of office spaces these workers are no longer utilizing. The report explains that many office spaces are grouped in specialized central business districts, where they draw from regional populations in order to fill their cubicles and open offices areas. With the massive shift in how and where people work currently underway, the RAND associa...

Could San Francisco become a city of "micro-hoods"?

2020-07-23T16:49:00-04:00

San Francisco based architects Kuth Ranieri Architects have unveiled a speculative proposal that aims to retrofit existing and underutilized office building clusters into mini-neighborhoods containing many of the daily necessities for residents of a post-pandemic city.

The firm's Post-Pandemic, Live + Work Micro-Hoods project envisions that the "rethinking the future of downtown will happen incrementally, on a block-by-block basis, through public-private partnerships, in parallel with policy and zoning changes." These changes, coupled with shifts in mobility as well as the rising phenomenon of more people working in their homes, will both make cities less auto-dominated as well as ripe for physical reconsideration, the architects explain.

Particularly, the architects envision underutilized downtown office complexes as sites of reappropriation and redesign, and point to recently announced plans by California energy giant PG&E to vacate its downtown San Francisco headquarters as perh...

How COVID-19 and ghost kitchens are reshaping restaurants

2020-07-06T16:53:00-04:00

The ghost kitchen is an increasingly crowded space. In addition to Reef, there are Zuul and Kitchen United in the United States, Deliveroo in London and Paris, and Panda Selected in China. CloudKitchens, the new venture run by Travis Kalanick’s City Storage Systems, buys real estate, brings in kitchen facilities, and leases them to chefs and small-business owners, most of whom do not have other brick-and-mortar spaces.

Anna Wiener, a contributing writer to The New Yorker, surveys the landscape of delivery- and takeout-only "ghost kitchens" that have taken root in American cities following the COVID-19 pandemic by focusing in on kitchen pod start up company Reef Technology.

AIA publishes building adaptation recommendations for senior living facilities

2020-06-30T12:58:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has unveiled its latest set of design adaptation strategies aimed at retrofitting existing buildings for post-pandemic use.

The latest guide, following up on strategies for schools, commercial facilities, and other spaces, is geared specifically for senior living facilities. A recent article in The New York Times explains that upwards of 43% of COVID-19 deaths in the United States are linked to nursing homes and that these casualties make up the majority of COVID-19 deaths in at least 24 states.

Previously on Archinect: AIA publishes re-occupancy strategies for schools, including 3D models Image courtesy of VMDO Architects.

These troubling statistics inform the urgency of the AIA's latest guidelines, which are geared toward the now-stalled "re-opening" phase of the pandemic while keeping an eye on a possible second or third wave of infections that could materialize in the fall during the traditional flu season. AIA's report states, "public...

Expanding the definition of universal design in a post-COVID world

2020-06-19T17:34:00-04:00

Rather than respond with temporary barriers or signs, [Joel] Sanders is trying to use MIX’s research process to arrive at designs that minimize the spread of the coronavirus and appeal to diverse users. This, he hopes, will result in buildings that endure, whether or not a vaccine becomes available.

Writing in The New York Times Magazine, journalist Kim Tingley takes a long look at the ways in which the design of everyday and communal spaces might shift to become more universally accessible following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The article engages with emerging design ideas resulting from new social distancing guidelines and includes perspectives from Joel Sanders of Joel Sanders Architect, Vishaan Chakrabarti of PAU, Mabel O. Wilson of Columbia University, Rosalie Genevro of the Architectural League of New York, and Deborah Berke of Yale University, among others.

AIA publishes re-occupancy strategies for schools, including 3D models

2020-06-17T16:48:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has unveiled yet another building retrofit tool aimed at helping building owners and operators retool existing facilities for re-occupancy following quarantine.

The latest set of resources includes reports detailing the "basic building blocks" for retrofitting schools, offices, and retail stores, and comes complete with sample 3D models to help visualize the necessary strategies.

Previously on Archinect: "Gensler, WXY, SITU, and others collaborate on 100-page guide for safe social distancing in schools." Image courtesy of WXY / LAB.

The most recent report highlights changes that can be made to school facilities and highlights changes for dealing with "arrivals, departures, allschool assemblies, lunchtime, and group-based extracurricular activities," among other high-risk events.

The report states, "Within the context of pandemic recovery, it is important to limit these assembly-type gatherings in order to reduce the likelihood of spreading a...

Is it time to redesign the toilet?

2020-06-17T13:29:00-04:00

As investigations into the ways in which the coronavirus spreads continue, new research suggests once again that bathrooms, and particularly toilets, represent a potential vector for infection.

Recently published research in the academic journal Physics of Fluids finds that toilet flushing produces a "massive upward transport of virus particles" with "40%–60% of particles reaching above the toilet seat, leading to large-scale virus spread." The report continues, "Fecal–oral transmission is a common transmission route for many viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Blocking the path of fecal–oral transmission, which occurs commonly in toilet usage, is of fundamental importance in suppressing the spread of viruses."

Previously on Archinect: ""Hygiene ventilation" and the case for Green Stimulus." Image courtesy of Image by Erich Westendarp from Pixabay.

For the study, researchers used computer modeling, including AutoCAD, to investigate how far and wide aerosolized virus particles can spread,...

USC Architecture launches program to find built solutions for future pandemics

2020-06-15T18:56:00-04:00

The University of Southern California School of Architecture has announced the launch of the HLW Project Héroe Research Initiative, an "interdisciplinary task force comprised of architects, consultants, medical experts, contractors, and USC Architecture students and recent graduates that aims to find a built solution to prevent future COVID-19-like outbreaks."

The effort is led by USC Architecture alumnus David Swartz and is being developed in collaboration with architects HLW and the USC Keck School of Medicine. According to a press release published by the school, Project Héroe will study how "COVID-19 can help identify infrastructures that will thwart future pandemics and allow people to interact unhindered by social distancing."

Previously on Archinect: "#OperationPPE puts architects to work 3d-printing protective equipment for frontline medical workers." Photo courtesy of USC Architecture Operation PPE.

Describing the project, Swartz writes, “My goal with this project is the h...

USGBC launches new indoor environmental quality guidance in response to COVID-19

2020-06-09T16:08:00-04:00

As the nationwide effort to reopen American businesses, universities, and other facilities gets underway, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has launched a new set of guidelines and metrics for ensuring that these re-opening activities "leverage LEED" expertise to "support buildings and communities in a post-pandemic world."

According to USGBC, "The strategy is guided by the idea that prioritizing the health of people, communities and the planet is the fastest way to rebuild a healthier, more sustainable economy."

As part of the group's new "economic recovery strategy" guidance for post-COVID-19 re-occupation, USGBC offers four new LEED credits tied to retrofitting existing spaces for post-pandemic use and adaptation.

The credits touch on the topics of cleaning and disinfecting, indoor air quality, water systems, and general re-occupancy.

Leo A. Daly publishes white paper on returning to school post-pandemic

2020-06-09T13:56:00-04:00

In an in-depth exploration, a group of planners, architects, and engineers specializing in higher education led by Leo A. Daly have convened to study the facility impacts of physical distancing and work through possible solutions for faculty and students returning to school.

The group referenced the available guidelines provided by government health and academic institutions on reopening in Fall 2020.

Through that investigation, three key areas were addressed. First, the team looked at how exposure to the virus could be mitigated on the campus as a whole. Second and thirdly, the team conducted a detailed study of two building types: a general purpose academic building and a "traditional" residence hall with shared toilet and shower facilities.

Check out the full white paper here.

Gensler, WXY, SITU, and others collaborate on 100-page guide for safe social distancing in schools

2020-06-03T14:20:00-04:00

Gensler, WXY, PSF Projects, PBDW, SITU, and Urban Projects Collaborative have come together with Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools (LAB) to develop a toolkit that explores ideas for how school layouts and operating procedures might change in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specifically, the guide is geared toward re-designing the entry sequences at schools to allow for increased coronavirus testing, required social distancing, and for the safe travel between home and school for children. The adaptations are also geared toward reworking the sidewalks and spaces immediately around school entrances in order to accommodate the long lines that will result as new, slower arrival procedures are implemented for students.

Previously on Archinect: "AIA updates pandemic re-occupancy design tools." Photo courtesy of Lincoln Barbour.

Additionally, the guide offers approaches for establishing social distancing within the classroom, ways of providing overhead covering for queuing students, ad...

AIA updates pandemic re-occupancy design tools

2020-06-01T19:47:00-04:00

As part of an effort to help guide the transition to "new lifestyle norms" in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has published a collection of tools that spell out strategies for re-occupying and retrofitting existing spaces.

The tools, an ongoing COVID-19 response project developed by AIA as the pandemic has taken hold, are designed as "enhanced tools for reducing risk of COVID-19 transmission in buildings" set to be reoccupied as stay-at-home orders are gradually lifted.

Previously on Archinect: "AIA publishes guide for re-occupying shuttered buildings post-quarantine." Image courtesy of Wikimedia user Larsinio.

Building experts expect that many existing buildings, including offices, classrooms, shopping centers, and government facilities, will need to be temporarily retrofit for use that accommodates social distancing guidelines. These guides are aimed at helping inform those adaptations in a way that includes input from designers, arch...