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The Retail and Entertainment Knowledge Community (REKC) fosters the creation, discussion, and dissemination of knowledge about the retail and entertainment environments among practitioners, clients, retailers, and the general public to advance the practice and improve the quality of retail and entertainment environments.

  • 1.  back to cinemas in a post-COVID-19 world

    Posted 09-21-2020 06:43 PM
    I came across an English company called Layer.  They have designed seating for cinemas in a post-COVID-19 world. Sequel - LAYER .  I was wondering if anyone else is aware of special accommodations being designed for future cinemas.

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    David Brotman FAIA
    Past AIA Regional Director
    Scottsdale AZ
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  • 2.  RE: back to cinemas in a post-COVID-19 world

    Posted 09-30-2020 12:54 PM
    A beautiful design full of clever details- love the sense of sitting 'together apart' and the ticket holder names displayed on each seat.   
    But it shouldn't mask the theater owners responsibility to assure the venue is super clean at every touch point. Wipe the armrests, thank you, but what about the HVAC? 
    Note that Tenant, the late summer blockbuster film, just crossed $300 million internationally and a dreadful $40 million in the US.  This isn't a judgement on the movie- I'll bet it's terrific.  It's an indictment of our Covid hygiene protocols, with no national - or even temporary - standards in place.  Without them, thankfully, a wide cross section of Americans are simply not willing to take a seat, no matter how beautiful it is.         


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    Gregory Beck AIA
    Gregory Beck, AIA Architecture + Experience Design
    Savannah GA
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  • 3.  RE: back to cinemas in a post-COVID-19 world

    Posted 09-30-2020 01:24 PM
    Well said Gregory

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    David Brotman FAIA
    Past AIA Regional Director
    Scottsdale AZ
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  • 4.  RE: back to cinemas in a post-COVID-19 world

    Posted 10-06-2020 08:41 PM
    Extending this thread, theater owners need to create their own cleaning standards, setting a high bar. A Disney bar.** 
    The industry is now before Congress asking for aid as Cineworld, the second largest global exhibitor, is about to close its doors in the US.  
    Don't wait for the governor to open your theaters- their only gauge is the percentage of infections, not the hygiene of your specific venue.  And after you open, you've got a much tougher audience to convince: your guests.   
    Delta Airlines just partnered with Lysol to clean their planes and ticket gates. So bring in an epidemiologist, an indoor air quality scientist, and someone like SERVPRO or Service Master to design your own standards.  And then bake them into your brand.        
    ** Although the Disney bar is not quite working in California, where the governor will still not allow Disneyland to open…. 


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    Gregory Beck AIA
    Architecture + Experience Design
    Savannah GA
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  • 5.  RE: back to cinemas in a post-COVID-19 world

    Posted 10-08-2020 09:37 AM

    This and other related threads always take me to a root position, "where do we want to be coming out of this pandemic/2020". Do we want to retain these levels of sanitation, even thought we have not been required to before the pandemic? Do we want to continue wearing masks in public if we feel ill, like so many other eastern societies? Do we stay home when sick, rather than rallying and going into the office and infecting everyone? Is the office as relevant as it once was? What are we doing now to activate those future desires or dispel them? The thinking and the actions we take today are the foundation for choices that guide us between building a future requirement or simply addressing a temporary condition. 

    From a professional perspective, I believe we (I say as a non practicing "alternative path" architect) also have a responsibility to push design reform when a requirement or standard isn't explicit or adequate - this is true in many fields. That can be a serious challenge. Balance client needs, value engineering, cost and code with sensible design alternatives and being able to communicate both the short and long-term ROI of those choices. Globally this is an issue, but Americans may suffer a bit more in that we have a 'bigger is better' mentality that we wear on our sleeves. Convincing a client that a slightly smaller venue is more cost effective long-term decision takes investment in analysis that most design firms aren't really prepared to take on (not incapable, don't misunderstand) and BIM can't necessarily address - but the math is quite simple. Theaters, restaurants, bars offices and indeed all social and civic structures have potential design shortcomings - not failures. There are simply new paradigms in layout and/or material selection necessary to accommodate new and potentially lasting traffic patterns, social constructs and policy that we have not been forced to consider previously. So, David thank you for bringing these types of physical design options forward and Gregory, for the remarks about more holistic points of view. How does we take that one-step further?

    There was a time when Architects didn't have to possess the greatest business acumen - I think for most of us that time passed decades ago. This is in fact how I chose to take the non-traditional path. Perhaps my fellow rogue designers have a bit more to add to our original professional field of choice.

    The first thing I thought of back in February/March was the work of Frances Gabe and her self-cleaning house. What lessons can we learn from her simple desire?. Daily R&M labor is almost always the issue when it comes to maintaining facility sanitation, but it isn't always the only option. PPIT (People, Process, Information, Technology) the operational excellence consultant's framework for transformation analysis. As humans, we get a little hung up on the 'hope' that technology will break the cycle but in reality we often need to innovate a step or two lower - as each isn't a mechanism to surpass the preceding, but to be bolstered by its presence. The interesting thing to the PPIT framework is when you overlay change constructs like ADKAR, which suggest that the PPIT order is at least misaligned, or improperly executed. We currently have the Awareness and Desire to change, even if it is artificially inflated. As architects we have the Knowledge and Ability to make an impact and we can rally our profession to drive Reinforcement through design standards. We simply target PPIT in a different way. The Process of design, might include aspects that reduce the reliance of staff to maintain sanitation standards. We've seen this in hospitals for decades with copper treated surfaces, and more recently with light based sanitation. In the 60's we spent a lot more time in hard-surface finishing (how many rounded corners can you count in the next terrazzo floor you encounter). But that required up-front labor costs - which when analyzed would likely show a reduction in the need for sanitation labor. As a small example.

    Its all a trade-off, but something we need to take an official POV on to ensure we leave this situation in a way that we are better than our entry point - and if not better, at least more informed. 



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    Clinton Groves
    Principal
    SELF
    Charlotte NC
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