Kathryn Gaysinsky Principal De Style Design Inc.
condominium
owners
Timely ideas, insight, inspiration and information of particular interest to condominium owners
COVID-19 Information
Healthcare to High-Rise Lessons to Help Fight Cross Contamination
The year 2020 has started with an unprecedented global event - which will surely change and shape our world in years to come. Newly minted concepts such as: social distancing, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), N95 Masks as well as detailed description of hand washing procedures, have been comprising the bulk of our conversations since the beginning of the year. We are all newly minted experts in virology and infectious diseases, with a mix of conspiracy theory mongering and just a dash of cautious hope that we are making a difference, as we go about our daily lives in this new normal. Although us in the design community are pretty good with visualizing measurements, I bet nowadays the new stan-
dardized unit of measure that anyone can ballpark is 6ft of distance (applied onto a horizontal surface beneath our feet) - these stickers on the floor are very helpful! All of us who are not used to working remotely, had a major routine change and a crash course in online collaboration platforms. We have become acutely aware of internet connection speeds as well as how to properly position the lighting to make us look our best (waist up) in our webcams. In short, our daily lives have been altered beyond recognition in the early months of 2020. The big question looming over everyone living in, providing services to and interacting with the Condominium community is what lessons can we draw from this situation in order to help protect us moving forward? During our 16 year tenure in designing healthcare facilities and refurbishing multilevel residential communities, the recent events and ongoing developments have really crystallized a few parallels that may be helpful to discuss with the readership here.
One underlying principle of action that the leaders of the world rely heavily on nowadays as the surest way to combat any infectious diseases is clear: Modifying Social Behaviour. The way we interact with our immediate environment, is a result of our current phase in life, daily routine and of course is the product of the way our physical environment is designed. Therefore, it is no secret that with a well orchestrated interior, we can make a difference in helping to slow down the spread of communicative diseases. For instance - in healthcare environments, such as dental offices, there has been for a long time, a strict separation between the clinical area, and the general area. All human interaction with work surfaces, work flow and ergonomics are clearly defined, and there is a strict separation between “contaminated” and “clean” surfaces. For these specific areas, there is a protocol of requirements such as installing touch free plumbing fixtures, surfaces that are resistant to harsher chemical CONDOVOICE SUMMER 2020
CV
51
ILLUSTRATION BY RÉMY SIMARD
It must be stated, that this article is of a thought provoking nature, we strongly encourage to keep referencing the WHO (World Health Organization), Ontario Public Health as well as IPAC (Infection Prevention and Control) for any immediate response to any current and future health emergencies.