Committee of Corporate Architects and Facility Management

 View Only

Community HTML

pexels-photo-443383.jpeg

Quick Links

Who we are

The AIA Corporate Architects and Facility Management (CAFM) Knowledge Community consist of architects working within and for businesses and corporations. Our mission is to share expertise in the strategic, tactical, and operational activities of real property and facilities management in order to deliver value to the owners we represent. 

Expand all | Collapse all

Corporate space usage change after Covid19

  • 1.  Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-08-2020 09:18 PM
    What is your thought about change in corporate space usage as a consequence of Covid19? As I am hearing that companies are starting to request office space planning projects to add separation between employees, and planning to change current office space configurations.

    How do you think this pandemic experience will affect space usage and planning and to what extent? For new and existing corporate space? The end or transformation of flex office?, More flexible policies regarding remote work? Back to private offices? Changes to common shared office space? 

    Will companies need additional office space reducing density? or less by flexing work form home policies?

    ------------------------------
    Oscar Estigarribia Assoc. AIA
    Director Global Real Estate Facilities
    Resideo
    Boca Raton FL
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-09-2020 10:20 AM
    All is being considered at this time. One thing is definite there will be a change to the workplace. How to come back to the workplace is a major consideration. How will it ramp up as people return. Another major concern is what will the workplace have to respond to pre-availability of a vaccine and post having a Covid19 vaccine. What happens if the virus returns in the fall? The story is still unfolding in terms of what the necessary requirements will be for the revamped workplace. Corporations, architects and furniture manufacturers are all looking at this now.

    Chauncey Jones, AIA
    Director Design and Construction
    Verizon




  • 3.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-12-2020 01:21 PM
    Thank you for your comments Chauncey.

    ------------------------------
    Oscar Estigarribia Assoc. AIA
    Director Global Real Estate Facilities
    Resideo
    Boca Raton FL
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-19-2020 01:53 PM
    The workplace will undergo a fundamental change as our behavior will be altered per this pandemic. Telecommuting will be the first thing as employers will most likely phase in employees returning to work. Workstation sizes will be changed, the open office design will most likely be altered. Using fabrics as part of panels may change as there may be a need to disinfect surfaces. The biggest impact will be how the economy will affect corporate space usage.

    ------------------------------
    Andrew Thompson AIA
    County Architect
    Passaic County
    Paterson NJ
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-21-2020 10:48 AM
    Thank you Andrew Thompson from NJ for your thoughts on the post Covid-19 office/workplace landscape will look like.  Thinking about this a lot lately as we're all working from home.

    The biggest question is how much remote working will be adopted.  This would likely depend on efficiency data compiled by the employers.  I'd suspect that the big tech companies, such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Tesla etc., will be at the forefront as they are data driven and efficiency driven,  Does anyone have preliminary data from these or other companies? 

    If data shows that companies gain, stay even, or even slightly decline in efficiency when remote working vs. office working, there may be a move to reduce office space as office space costs money.  There are also ancillary costs of the workplace - tech companies typically provide meals, many convenience services ranging from daycare to laundry, transportation such as luxury shuttle coaches or transit passes - on top of the cost of rent, maintenance and utilities.

    If social distancing increases the spacing of employees, this also increase the  square foot space cost per employee.  The question is does the reduced density compensate for reduced employees working in offices in terms of the net need for office space?

    Regarding R&D and manufacturing social distancing will certainly encourage use of more robots and automation to reduce workers on the floor.  Question is what are the short term measures as reconfiguration and equipment increases are capital intensive in R&D and manufacturing facilities?

    ------------------------------
    Remi Tan, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
    Principal Architect
    Z&L Properties
    San Francisco Bay Area, CA
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-21-2020 12:07 PM
    That is very good point regarding R&D and Manufacturing. As architects have moved into the realm of designing mega-warehouses, the next step will be to seriously think about robotics. The major problem is with the economic crisis, how would that look if we start taking away the possibility of unemployment by replacing people with robots? In planning an environment using robots, does that involve architects or would engineers step in that role?

    ------------------------------
    Andrew Thompson AIA
    County Architect
    Passaic County
    Paterson NJ
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-22-2020 06:05 PM
    Robotics and AI replacing humans is a big issue.  That is why we need Universal Basic Income.  The one suggested by Andrew Yang in his presidential campaign is only a start and not nearly enough to support a worker. This means our national, state and local governments need to start Universal Basic Income programs paid for by taxes on excess corporate profits.  The main hurdle to this is most all of the elected politicians at national and state levels and some at local levels are at the mercy of corporate donors for their campaigns and they are not willing to bite the hand that feeds them.  Nothing will really change until we ban all corporate and high wealth individuals from donating to any campaigns or super pacs.  This is reforms that the late Senator John McCain was advocating for and now Senator Elizabeth Warren is trying but not getting much traction unfortunately, due to most politicians happy with the status quo.

    ------------------------------
    Remi Tan, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
    Principal Architect, Design Department
    Z&L Properties, Inc.
    San Francisco Bay Area, CA
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-28-2020 11:51 AM

    I have more questions than answers, but here's a couple that seem out of step with other replies I've seen on this thread...

     

    How sure are we that the work environment changes to be anticipated as a result of COVID-19 will result in less open offices?  It seems like if forced to choose between "going back to working from home" and increased capital spending to create larger offices to better isolate people, most businesses are not going to choose the later now that they've been forced to try the former.

     

    And when it comes to lessons learned about contamination from the current pandemic, if COVID-19 were to be the guide, wouldn't it make more sense to use less hard surfaces instead of more?  It may seem counter-intuitive, but haven't all reports suggested this virus lives longer on hard surfaces than it does on more absorbent ones?

     

    Just observations & questions...

     

    Kim Otten AIA

    Good Samaritan Society

    Sioux Falls, SD

     

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments,
    is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain
    privileged and confidential information.  Any unauthorized review, use,
    disclosure or distribution is prohibited.  If you are not the intended
    recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy
    all copies of the original message.





  • 9.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-29-2020 08:35 PM
    Anticipating a vaccine will be developed within a year or so, it's likely the built environment will return to pre-COVID 19 standards as the public health threat becomes publicly perceived as manageable. Meanwhile, we should expect to be challenged to find temporary distancing & separation modifications to existing space configurations that can be quickly implemented without costly capital investment.

    ------------------------------
    Peter Dawson AIA
    Missouri City TX
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-30-2020 05:42 PM

    That is a question I am wrestling with: How long until we forget?

     

    2022 COVID is gone and we are all going to games, concerts and shopping malls.  Are we distancing, wearing masks, even concerned about the "next virus"?    

     

    If not, are our project budgets going to support the added costs for specialized systems and design?

     

     

     

    Bradley S. Pollitt, AIA

    Vice President, Facilities

    UF Health Shands Hospital

    1600 SW Archer Road

    P.O. Box 100366

    Gainesville, FL  32610

    Office – 352.265.0088

    Fax – 352.265.0499

    UFhealthlogo

     

     






  • 11.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 05-01-2020 02:22 PM

    I agree. Memories are short. Two years of less from now things will be back to the way they were with a possible few exceptions.

     

    Art Balourdas AIA

    San Diego CA

     






  • 12.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-30-2020 08:40 AM

    Kim

    You raise a couple of good points

     

    Regarding materials, I think we can look to healthcare design to influence office design, especially more easily cleanable materials (I.e. hard or impermeable surfaces, etc.) may be the way to go, at least initially.

     

    From a sustainability point of view, what are we going to do with the "excess" furniture that may be jettisoned in this process?

     

     

    Thank you

     

    Hank Pohl, AIA, LEED AP
    Associate Director/ Vice President
    JLL
    1850 Towers Crescent Plaza, Suite 300

    Tysons, VA 22182

    T  +1 703 485 8761

    M +1 703 597 6826


    jll.com

     



    One of the 2020 World's Most Ethical Companies®

    Jones Lang LaSalle

    For more information about how JLL processes your personal data, please click here.

    This email is for the use of the intended recipient(s) only. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and then delete it. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not keep, use, disclose, copy or distribute this email without the author's prior permission. We have taken precautions to minimize the risk of transmitting software viruses, but we advise you to carry out your own virus checks on any attachment to this message. We cannot accept liability for any loss or damage caused by software viruses. The information contained in this communication may be confidential and may be subject to the attorney-client privilege. If you are the intended recipient and you do not wish to receive similar electronic messages from us in the future then please respond to the sender to this effect.





  • 13.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-30-2020 04:41 PM
    I think clean-ability of workstations will come into play. The fabric does help with sound attenuation but I have workstation fabric panels cleaned after being in place for 5 years and I was shocked at the amount of dirt that came off.

    As retail spaces suffer from this crisis, there will be eventual spaces that would be ideal for a touch down space for people applying for work and excess workstations if applicable would be a low cost alternative to supply workstation (with new design guidelines).

    ------------------------------
    Andrew Thompson AIA
    County Architect
    Passaic County
    Paterson NJ
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-09-2020 05:55 PM
    I believe Corporations will be looking at the after effects of Covid-19 as an opportunity to reduce foot print and operating costs by personnel continuing to tele-commute. As personnel get used to working remote with technology, there will be less need to occupy office buildings 8 - 10 hours a day.

    ------------------------------
    Daniel Leonard AIA
    Facilities Engineering Manager
    Lockheed Martin
    Colorado Springs CO
    ------------------------------



  • 15.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-12-2020 01:20 PM
    Thank you for your contribution Daniel.

    ------------------------------
    Oscar Estigarribia Assoc. AIA
    Director Global Real Estate Facilities
    Resideo
    Boca Raton FL
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-13-2020 07:09 AM
    For the short term there will be a need to incorporate social distancing into existing workspaces and common areas. Perhaps splitting the work day into smaller shifts (morning/afternoon/alternate days) to reduce the number of potential encounters along with robust protocols for disinfection of shared work stations.

    ------------------------------
    John Francey AIA
    Consumers Energy Company
    Jackson MI
    ------------------------------



  • 17.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-13-2020 12:09 PM
    ​Many companies are currently working to survive, and to keep their customers and staff healthy and safe.  They are also strategizing on recovery plans.  There is no doubt that a lot of what we are learning will play into a change in facility related corporate thinking.  Working remotely will probably have some residual "stay" effect for some businesses, but I imagine a lot businesses do not have this option (healthcare for example) as a permanent solution.  Great to see these conversations!  Thanks all!

    ------------------------------
    Robert Hartig AIA
    Medical Associates Clinic
    Dubuque IA
    ------------------------------



  • 18.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-15-2020 08:25 AM

    Oscar,
    What we come back to will certainly be different
    - Majority of folks who never experienced success Working @ Home ​have overcome the fear of not working "Face to Face & now see the values  of remote working  

    - They can now prove the point that as long as you have the right work space and the right technology, you can work anywhere. 

    - They can now testify to the point that working @ home adds quality to life as it reduces/ eliminates the stress of commuting.

    -They can embrace the fact that they can now have better time with loved ones who are suffering thru this time one way or another- while being productive working @ home.

    - They see the benefits less commuting has delivered to the environment as well.

    Isn't it nice to see a totally blue urban sky again!


    Yes- Social distancing will change the workplace  be it by organizations implementing staggered hours, increased remote working wherever possible or a own the new definition of space we can Design to Live and Work in.  
    For years, the best metric used to measure successful office portfolio management, was reducing the SF/ Person and its related savings.  Our post COVID19 metric must be not the reducing of it but now the optimizing of it so folks can overcome the fears of coming back in a "Post-COVID 19" world.

    Oscar, Change is the only constant in all the world and in all we do in it for ourselves & others. Our wonderful profession is full of great people who are uniquely trained to take a leadership role in redefining the workspace - and the world- we come back to.
    Our AIA organization thru it's members will step up again to lead in this charge  
    Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts and hope they brought value.


    Joe Flock, AIA  
    Proud AIA Member since 1978!

    ​​

    ------------------------------
    Joseph Flock AIA
    Horizon Blue Cross Blueshield
    Rutherford NJ
    ------------------------------



  • 19.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-21-2020 11:44 AM
    Thank you for your comments Joseph

    ------------------------------
    Oscar Estigarribia Assoc. AIA
    Director Global Real Estate Facilities
    Resideo
    Boca Raton FL
    ------------------------------



  • 20.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-22-2020 05:14 PM

    I think that a lot of open office trends will have to be challenged and discarded.

    I redesigned my former employer's office a few years ago.  This was an architecture and engineering organization for a public agency.  Our previous office was an open office with cloth Herman Miller partitions.  Even before this pandemic, it was a source of sickness for many employees, and had noise problems that made it difficult to concentrate on architectural and engineering tasks.  

    Although I had to work with systems furniture, I used full height non load-bearing partition walls to create smaller areas of open office space.  I also used systems furniture partitions that were at least 5'-0" high, with glass to transmit light.  I was under tremendous pressure to use low partitions just above desk height, but a previous incident where an employee had come in with influenza - and spread it to much of the workforce - played a role in selecting higher partitions.  I created zones where noise and other contaminants were confined to smaller areas.  It should be understood that the systems furniture industry does not have "tight" partition modules, and the airflow, including droplets and noise, can penetrate to some extent.  Also, as another responder noted, cloth panels can be essentially transparent, especially if there is no solid panel behind the cloth coverings.

    For office design, I believe the open office will need to be abandoned and rethought.  New partition types, different HVAC design, and more private offices will and should be the norm.  Telework will have to expand, and office footprints may be come smaller.  

    Yet another problem to be faced is cultural.  In American society, there is tremendous stress on attendance, from primary school through the workplace.  This stress on attendance, along with sick pay issues, has had the effect of having sick employees in the workplace spreading disease.   Part of the solution is to have school and employer policies that do not penalize people who are absent due to illness.  

    Another cultural problem is a reticence to accept telework.  Some employers discount the ability to work remotely even when it is suitable for the tasks at hand.  A perceived lack of control, among other issues, has made it difficult for some employers to accept telework.  There are also political commentators who believe that telework is a cover for not doing any work at all.  Organizations must learn to set standards that can be measured so that productivity is assured during telework.  

    As far as open offices are concerned, yet another problem is that systems furniture can be amortized and accounted for in a way that permanent walls cannot be.  Perhaps the systems furniture industry can produce full height, tight partitions that are also can be relocated.




     





    ------------------------------
    Marsha Levy AIA
    Boca Raton FL
    ------------------------------



  • 21.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-22-2020 06:40 PM
    We are in a culture where so many people are communicating electronically...even to each other at the same table in a restaurant.  With a move to remote work environments, we have to wonder what will happen to the importance and value of building collaborative teams and friendships among workers and clients regardless of a specific industry or business.  Is it our charge as architects and designers to assure that social and personal contact and interaction in the work environment will remain relevant and important? 

    It will also be interesting as to how HVAC system design ​might change.  Do we need to design systems that can be easily modified or "switched" to become negative air environments during a crisis?

    ------------------------------
    Robert Hartig AIA
    Medical Associates Clinic
    Dubuque IA
    ------------------------------



  • 22.  RE: Corporate space usage change after Covid19

    Posted 04-22-2020 07:03 PM
    I worked in healthcare for 12 years and I had to upgrade an inpatient facility for increased air changes per hour as per new health codes. The medical institution I worked for was private and put a lot of money towards this project, but I am not sure other facilites especially non-healthcare facilities can afford to upgrade their HVAC systems to be more efficient and incorporate better filtration systems to fight germs. As an architect working with engineers on this effort there are creative ways to be budget efficient and hopefully there will be programs or tax incentives to supplement the changes.

    ------------------------------
    Andrew Thompson AIA
    County Architect
    Passaic County
    Paterson NJ
    ------------------------------