COVID 19 DESIGN IMPACTS A plan for design and architecture.
THE BIG PICTURE OVERVIEW: There is still a lot of uncertainty around the long term impacts from COVID-19 on the way we live. Some of these trends will be here to stay and affect how we design our future buildings. A few new trends to consider: • Working at home has become far more prevalent. • What does the COVID virus mean to the design of healthy buildings? • Use patterns in resorts may be changing with longer stays and different approaches to rentals. • Spending more time at home with the family, cooking/eating in and entertaining. • Electric vehicles continue to grow at an extraordinary pace. The media has produced a lot of articles around this topic and ranging from “everything is going back to normal after there is a vaccine” to “the way how and where we live/work is forever changed”. So, do we have a scenario just like September 11th, when people were convinced that skyscrapers would never be built again and are cities dead? Or, is this a start of a new era in architecture just as tuberculosis transformed 19th century Paris? Who knows? Without having these answers, this memo is trying to provide our team with thoughts to consider over the next several months while planning and designing our next projects. The intent is to use this guide while engaging conversations with our design teams, sales folks, customers and other stakeholders. • Recommendations are separated into three areas. • Systems • Design features in homes • Certifications
GOAL: • Develop a set of recommendations that will assist project teams to plan and design new projects with new trends arising from the COVID pandemic impacts, such as: • Does each unit have multiple options for offices/work stations? • Are we really ensuring maximum ventilation to deal with COVID and other air quality issues? • Are the outdoor spaces in the units really big enough and are they truly a design extension of the living spaces? • Are we implementing “Stow and Go” into all of our units? • Are we maximizing contactless access systems throughout the units/buildings (RFID vs hard key) • Develop next generation mechanical ventilation systems with air purification options/space isolation
COVID DESIGN PLAN
2
SYSTEMS HVAC UNIT: HVAC systems are primarily used for space conditioning; heating & cooling. Filtration is secondary and typically consists of a MERV 8 filter for large dust, pet hair/dander and mold spores. The systems are well isolated from other units with no cross contamination. Supplemental direct outside air is provided per code. System turns on/off based on set temperature at T-stat. CORRIDORS: Corridors are either conditioned or unconditioned. The conditioned spaces may have recirculating air through a filtered return air grill. PUBLIC: HVAC systems used for space conditioning and basic filtration. The return air from the shared spaces may carry contaminants from the public and recirculate back into the space, possibly putting others at risk who share the space. CHANGE HVAC PRIMARY USE FROM TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM TO AIR CLEANING SYSTEM: There are different levels of air cleaning pending on the size of particulates to be removed from the air for allergies, asthma or viruses. Note: it is unclear at this time whether the COVID virus is airborne. The filtration via HVAC system will not be effective to eliminate the direct transmission via larger water droplets from speech, sneezing etc. Best method of cleaning is mechanical filtration with a HEPA type filter. The higher the MERV rating the smaller particulates it removes from the air. • Filtration (>3micron)
MERV 4-8
large dust, pet hair/dander, mold spores
• Purification (1-3micron) MERV 9-12
fine dust, pollen, allergens, bacteria, mold
• Enhanced purification (0.3-1micron) MERV 17+ (true HEPA)
gases (smoke/odor), viruses, smog, very fine dust
THINGS TO CONSIDER: • HVAC fans need to run 24/7, not on demand, increasing electrical costs • Higher rated filters will restrict airflow, system needs to be appropriately/upsized • System to be designed for appropriate number of air exchanges per hour • Direct outside air to minimized/controlled • Filters require maintenance and replacement • Humidity control is important factor to keep mold growth under control If air cleaning is the primary goal, the HVAC system should be a closed recirculating filtrations system with controlled/ducted fresh outside air supply. In many locations the outdoor air quality is poor with elevated outdoor contaminant levels Increased open window and door systems will bring in large amounts of direct outside air with pollutants and thus rendering the system ineffective for primary air cleaning. Alternate methods to clean air are with electrostatic and ionic systems. They are much smaller in size and easier to retrofit in existing systems, however they don’t really remove irritants from the air but instead give the particulates an electric charge which cause them to attach to solid surfaces in the space (like your TV screen attracts dust). However they can ‘remove’ smaller (<0.3micron) particles from the air than HEPA filter can.
COVID DESIGN PLAN
3
SYSTEMS E l e v a to rs , Au to ma t io n ELEVATORS
Design thoughts There is a lot of anxiety around elevators for two reasons. First, people are concerned with they time spend in close proximity to others for extended period of time, increasing their chance of direct exposure to COVID. Second, the controls are sources of contamination from direct contact. It is difficult to keep control buttons clean between every use and therefor a contactless control system would be preferred. Suggestions: • New design should explore contactless elevator controls • New design should include a constant exhaust system to remove contaminated air from elevator cab • Explore cab auto cleaning system in between cab rides or frequent intervals
AUTOMATION OF BUILDING ACCESS
Solutions Building access is another location that makes people feel uneasy with the amount of use on doors and entry points. Here are a few suggestions on easing that for others: • Install automatic doors in all public areas • Install RFID or similar type touchless access control system to all entry doors, pool gates, public bathrooms, etc.
COVID DESIGN PLAN
4
DESIGN Features for units & public spaces OVERVIEW
Design changes based on broker feedback Every product we build will have different requirements, unique to its location and primary use. Second homes will live differently than primary home condos in the city. Regardless of these differences, the following things should be considered. Note: they were based off of a Denver survey we took with the top brokers in the area. People have become hyperaware of themselves in relation to others (spatial awareness/social distancing) and the surfaces they touch.
DESIGN ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER
Unit specific Here are some recommendations on design updates for residences:
• Functional areas that allow for more time spend with the family, both for coming together and separating, as well as spending time outdoors in yard/on balconies. • Provide for functional spaces for work and schooling from home. Include office/work space.
DESIGN ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER
Public realms Here are some recommendations for updates to make to the public spaces: • Design public spaces with separation/distancing in mind, touchless controls and minimize direct contact with hard surfaces. • Select materials that can easily be disinfected and cleaned or are anti- microbial in nature.
• Design for more cooking/eating/entertaining at home. • Allow for workout space / private outdoor spaces.
• Add handwashing stations in strategic locations.
• Implement functional stow-n-go systems in all second home product.
COVID DESIGN PLAN
5
CERTIFICATION P rograms OVERVIEW: Sustainable design is one of EWP’s core principles and certification programs are not new to the company. Likely, the primary focus of energy efficient buildings will shift towards promoting healthy buildings. Going forward, projects should be actively pursuing certification programs and design buildings with health and wellness in mind. Below are summaries of programs with focus on health and wellness to consider: • LEED • WELL Buildings LEED is the most recognized program by the general public and our company has most experience with obtaining certifications in our buildings. Therefore LEED certification should be the default program to achieve in all our future projects and obtaining highest levels should be the goal. Platinum and Gold are preferred over Silver. Just achieving Certification level is no longer considered a recognized achievement and more in line with general expectations from the general public for the quality products EWP constructs. WELL Buildings is becoming more prevalent and with its increased focus on occupants’ wellbeing, this program should be given strong consideration going forward and projects should be evaluated for feasibility of obtaining this certification. It is EWP’s strong desire to gain more experience with this program and become a real champion with this type of certification.
COVID DESIGN PLAN
6
CERTIFICATION
LEED LEED OVERVIEW
USGBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residential specific rating system, LEED for Homes (LEED-H), provides a unique format for LEED delivery focused on field testing and quality control. LEED-H generally requires less paper-based documentation of credit compliance compared to other LEED rating systems, and requires more field work and on-site verification of LEED implementation. One- to three-story buildings are required to use LEED-H, while mid-rise buildings can choose between LEED-H and LEED for New Construction (LEEDNC). RESILIENCY
SITE AND ECOLOGY
LEED-H has a strong emphasis on durability management and construction quality via field verification. The rating system refers primarily to established ENERGY STAR methodologies for addressing these impact areas in the field (ENERGY STAR for Homes, ENERGY STAR water management checklist, ENERGY STAR thermal enclosure system rater checklist), and includes best practices for material selection, water management and mold prevention.
LEED for Homes addresses site and ecology in a similar way to other LEED rating systems, with some variation in credit structure and point weighting. The LEED-H metrics for site and ecology are oriented to infill development in urban areas.
WATER Water use performance can be quantified via prescriptive requirements or calculation methodology in LEED-H and is focused exclusively on indoor plumbing fixture flush and flow rates and basic landscaping strategies for water use reduction.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS Occupants health and wellness is addressed in the Indoor Environmental Quality credit section of the LEED-H rating system, with emphasis on improved air quality via ventilation and lowtoxicity material selection, occupant safety and comfort. Unit compartmentalization is a key component of the LEED-H rating systems that is included in the Indoor Environmental Quality credit section, but also addresses resiliency, durability, construction quality, material selection and energy performance. Compartmentalization is field verified via the ENERGY STAR thermal enclosure system rater checklist and blower door testing.
ENERGY AND EMISSIONS Energy performance is the most heavily weighted impact area in all LEED rating systems, including LEED for Homes. LEED-H provides multiple compliance path options including prescriptive and calculation-based methodologies. Prescriptive methodologies for improving energy performance draw heavily on established ENERGY STAR frameworks and basic best practices. Calculation based methodologies include HERS ratings for single family and low- rise projects, and whole building energy analysis for mid-rise projects.
MATERIALS The materials section of the LEED-H rating system is oriented to waste reduction, durability and prioritizing environmentally preferable materials (recycled, regional, FSC wood, etc.). The materials section overlaps and aligns with the resiliency, emissions (embodied energy and carbon) and the health and wellness impact areas above.
COVID DESIGN PLAN
7
CERTIFICATION
Well buildings WELL BUILDINGS OVERVIEW
Well buildings is a program designed to support healthier workplace environments and improve occupant health and productivity. There are ten concepts in WELLv2: air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind and community. Projects must achieve all preconditions as well as a certain number of points to earn different levels of certification, WELL silver 50 points; gold 60 points; platinum 80 points. To achieve the lowest level of certification, projects need to earn a minimum of 2 points per concept for a minimum of 40 out 110 possible points.
WATER
SITE AND ECOLOGY
Water concept covers aspects of the quality, distribution and control of liquid water in a building. It includes features that address the availability and contaminant thresholds of drinking water, as well as features targeting the management of water to avoid damage to building materials and environmental conditions
• Air concept aims to ensure high levels of indoor air quality across a building’s lifetime through diverse strategies that include source elimination or reduction, active and passive building design and operation strategies and human behavior interventions.
. MATERIALS Materials concept aims to reduce human exposure to hazardous building material ingredients through the restriction or elimination of compounds or products known to be toxic and the promotion of safer replacements. Compounds known to be hazardous to the health of occupational workers and/or known to bioaccumulate or aggregate in the environment are also restricted and in some instances not permitted.
• Community concept aims to support access to essential healthcare, workplace health promotion and accommodations for new parents while establishing an inclusive, integrated community through social equity, civic engagement and accessible design.
RESILIENCY Not specially addressed in program.
ENERGY AND EMISSIONS HEALTH AND WELLNESS • Movement concept promotes physical activity and active living, and discourages sedentary behaviors through environmental design strategies, programs and policies. • Nourishment concept requires the availability of fruits and vegetables and nutritional transparency, and encourages environments where the healthiest choice is the easiest choice. • Mind concept promotes mental health through policy, program and design strategies that seek to address the diverse factors that influence cognitive and emotional well-being.
• Sound concept aims to bolster occupant health and well-being through the identification and mitigation of acoustical comfort parameters that shape occupant experiences in the built environment. • Light concept promotes exposure to light and aims to create lighting environments that are optimal for visual, mental and biological health • Thermal Comfort concept aims to promote human productivity and ensure a maximum level of thermal comfort among all building users through improved HVAC system design and control and by meeting individual thermal preferences.
COVID DESIGN PLAN
8
NEXT STEPS HOW TO EXECTUTE THIS PLAN: • Review the projects that are currently in design and evaluate what COVID mitigation measures can be incorporated immediately • Assign a Champion in each market to facilitate dialogue and collect data • Start conversations with design teams and learn of new developments • Get market feedback from sales teams • Set up TEAMS channel to facilitate companywide dialogue • Identify structural/permanent changes in Built environment
COVID DESIGN PLAN
9
THOUGHTS? QUESTIONS?
Reach out to Erik. ERIK DE BRUIJN
edebruijn@ewpartners.com