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The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has sent a letter to congress asking for aid to small businesses in response to the economic crash resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. A press release from the AIA highlights that AIA 2020 President Jane Frederick, FAIA, and AIA EVP/Chief... View full entry
With the rise in measures due to the impacts of COVID-19, many are battling the subsequent mentality driven pandemics of worry, fear, and anxiety. While we collectively strive to fulfill our work duties, we must couple them with parental, familial, economic, and a slew of other bombardments that... View full entry
With news of COVID-19 affecting individuals across the globe, hospitals and medical clinics are experiencing a shortage in supplies such as ventilators, respirators, and personal protective equipment (PPE). However, as news of the virus spreads, design professionals are banning together with... View full entry
The Boston Society of Architects (BSA) is holding a series of webinars over the coming weeks aimed at sharing tips and best practices for remote work that architects can use in their own practices as firms respond to the COVID-19 crisis. The first installment in the series covers general... View full entry
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s announcement earlier this week halting all but essential construction work in the city has left contractors in other areas of the country wondering if their jurisdictions will also order a temporary stop to their projects.
[...] other areas are under orders that ban nonessential services, causing some construction leaders to wonder whether their work is considered essential or not.
— Construction Dive
With the growing coronavirus pandemic calling for frequently adjusted federal, state, and local orders, a fair amount of uncertainty has gripped the US construction industry. While Boston has completely shut down all nonessential construction activity for at least the next two weeks, contractors... View full entry
The Berlin government said on Tuesday it would create a new hospital to cope with a likely huge increase in coronavirus cases.
The facility, which will house up to 1,000 patients, will be set up in the Berlin Messe trade fair exhibition grounds in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district of the German capital.
The hospital will be built with the help of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr.
— DW
As the coronavirus outbreak rapidly expands also in Germany, officials in Berlin hope to prevent potential bottlenecks in the capital's hospital system with a new medical facility specifically for COVID-19 patients. The country now has more than 10,000 confirmed cases — the third highest in... View full entry
As the economic and social fall out from the growing novel coronavirus pandemic continues to take shape, The Architecture Lobby (TAL) has published a letter calling on employers to protect the health and welfare of their workers. The statement, published on the TAL website, implores... View full entry
A temporary field hospital for use by people unable to isolate and recover from COVID-19 in their own homes will be located at a soccer field in Shoreline, a city spokesman said.
The Shoreline Temporary Field Hospital, at 19030 First Ave N.E., will provide up to 200 beds, according to the city’s website. It will house “people exposed to, at risk of exposure, or becoming ill with the novel coronavirus..."
— The Seattle Times
According to The Seattle Times, the hospital will be on a turf soccer field that is on a school district property that is leased to the city. King County is creating temporary field hospitals at a number of locations for people who cannot remain in their homes or do not have a... View full entry
In this rapidly evolving socio-professional landscape, remote work is the talk of the town. In an ongoing survey, Archinect has learned that an estimated 78% of architectural professionals are working from home or have been given the option to work from home during the current COVID-19 outbreak... View full entry
Light, air, and hygiene [...] were the best treatment for tuberculosis at the time.
The design and construction of specialized sanatoria coincided with the advent of Modernism. Architectural elements like flat roofs, terraces and balconies, and white- or light-painted rooms spread across Europe. Not unlike the sanatorium, the new architecture was intended to cure the perceived physical, nervous, and moral ailments brought on by crowded cities.
— CityLab
The collective desire to cure and prevent the seemingly unstoppable tuberculosis epidemic through deliberate design choices had given tremendous momentum to a revolutionary movement in our fairly recent architectural past: Modernism. Staircase inside Alvar Aalto's Paimio Sanatorium. Photo courtesy... View full entry
The American Academy in Rome (AAR) has announced that it will be shutting down its campus in Rome in response to the novel coronavirus-19 epidemic. In a letter published to the AAR website, Mark Robbins,AAR President and CEO, writes, “In consideration of the safety of those residing in... View full entry
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has published its latest Architecture Billings Index (ABI) report, highlighting the healthy demand for design services on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally speaking, February's ABI numbers paint a rosy picture for the industry. This, of... View full entry
A 3D-printer company in Italy has designed and printed 100 life-saving respirator valves in 24 hours for a hospital that had run out of them...The valve connects patients in intensive care to breathing machines.
The hospital, in Brescia, had 250 coronavirus patients in intensive care and the valves are designed to be used for a maximum of eight hours at a time...The 3D-printed version cost less than €1 (90p) each to produce and the prototype took three hours to design.
— BBC
Cristian Fracassi, a chief executive at Isinnova, an independent research institute in Italy, and mechanical engineer Alessandro Romaioli teamed up to aid the hospitals need for new valves. Partnering with Lonati, another local 3D-printing company, the group began printing to meet the hospital's... View full entry
Announced March 17th, NeoCon 2020, the conference held every June at The Mart in Chicago since 1969, has been postponed. It was originally scheduled to occur from June 8th to June 10th. In its statement, the conference states: The health and welfare of all NeoCon participants, as well as local... View full entry
The Internet is already demonstrating its indispensable value as the fourth utility. [...] However, this presents strains to online infrastructure as the number of simultaneous online collaborations increases dramatically. Service companies, businesses, and individuals must be prepared for continued strain on private and public networks. [...] Likewise, businesses must evaluate their infrastructure and policies to ensure they can support remote participation, both technically and socially. — Brad Kult, HGA
Brad Kult, HGA's Director of Technology Design & Planning, gives an overview on the increasingly crucial role of technology in order for businesses and schools to continue operating, amid social-distancing efforts to slow down the spread of COVID-19. Kult offers some helpful reminders for... View full entry
