Design Firms Give Workspaces A Post-Pandemic Makeover
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Walking back into the office after months of working from home won't be business as usual.
Design firms are planning now for what a post-pandemic makeover might look like for businesses ranging from healthcare to offices filled with shared desk space.
"The trend has been to be densification, put as many people in an open space as possible, that's definitely going to be a very different outlook moving forward, you're not going to see that trend for a very long time now," said Heather Kampa, Principal at HGA, a design and architecture firm.
Open space concepts, doorknobs, water fountains, cubicles, and shared spaces like lunchrooms are being reevaluated.
"Our human nature is to connect and collaborate and communicate and eat together and spend time together, everyone wants to get back into that normal but we have to provide them a space where they feel comfortable and safe to come back too," said Kampa
Kampa and her team are working with clients now to see what offices might look like in the future. She is encouraging clients to look are designs that create less density, larger walkways, handsfree design and even looking at HVAC systems to better filter air throughout the building.
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"We are looking at everything from walking to your car from the front door, making those doors hands-free, and as you enter into the space, is there enough room for groups people to be coming in?" she explained.
Some companies are even looking to add wall extenders and a "cough and sneeze guards" to their desks and other areas. Mark Canavarro, CEO of OBEX, said he has had to double staff to fill the need.
"Starting April 1st to about now, we are going to do just about a total amount of sales we did all of last year," he said.
The company created a new six-foot mobile shield to fill the new and increased demand during the pandemic.
"You can slide it around anywhere to create separation and a barrier," Canavarro explained.
While the products are intended to block germs, Canavarro hopes it will also provide a shield of peace.
"Getting people back to work is most important. It is going to help our economy, it's going to help people's mental health. Providing that sense of peace of mind and by creating this privacy is going to help that all the way around," he said.