Healthy people, healthy planet

 
 
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COVID-19 Research
Sustainability

What’s Inside
Research Basis
Findings

 

Research Basis

  1. Sustainable goals should be an integral part of pandemic recovery. It is the principle in which all aspects of design should be grounded.

  2. Without significant progress against climate change and embedded resilience strategies, pandemic circumstances are likely to become a more consistent part of our reality.

  3. While, in the case of viruses, nature appears to be the enemy, it also likely holds the solutions.

Realities

  1. All aspects of the push for Sustainability are honorable. However, the subject is vast and not all aspects are applicable to pandemics / health crises and their recovery strategies.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Findings

 
 
 
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01 Biophilic Design Matters Now More than Ever

Pre-Threat Principles:

  • Biophilia concept introduced in 1973 by Erich Fromm, in ‘The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness.’
    Biophilia hyphothesis, Encyclopedia Brittanica

    • E.O. Wilson defined the biophilia hypothesis as “the idea that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life.”

  • The core tenets of biophilia align with trends in sustainable design, with ‘Nature in the Space’ addressing the direct, physical and ephemeral presence of nature in a space or place.

    • Visual and Non-visual connections with Nature

    • Non-rhythmic Sensory stimuli

    • Thermal and Airflow Variability

    • Presence of Water

    • Diffuse and Dynamic light

    • Connection with Natural systems

  • Projects must be designed to include elements that nurture the innate human/nature connection.
    Living Building Challenge 4.0 Standard

Threat Response Principles:
14 Patterns of Biophilic Design, Terrapin Bright Green

  • A pandemic is a health crisis. Biophilic design can:

    • Reduce stress,

    • enhance creativity and clarity of thought,

    • improve our well-being and expedite healing

  • For large number of people quarantined at home, Biophilia offers Physiological Health and Well-being:

    • Encompass our adaptability, alertness, attention, concentration, and emotion and mood.

      • Impacts restoration and stress management.

    • Natural environments provide greater emotional restoration

      • Lower instances of tension, anxiety, anger, fatigue, confusion and total mood disturbance than urban environments with limited characteristics of nature.

  • For people whose health is directly impacted by the pandemic, Biophilia offers Physiological Health and Well-being:

    • Encompass our aural, musculoskeletal, respiratory, circadian systems and overall physical comfort.

    • Physiological responses triggered by connections with nature include

      • Relaxation of muscles

      • Lowering of diastolic blood pressure and stress hormone (i.e., cortisol) levels in the blood stream.

    • Simply viewing greenery and trees through a hospital window reduced postoperative complications and reduced the need for painkillers.
      Let’s Grow: Can Biophilia help combat the Coronavirus?, Chillicothe Gazette

 
 
 
 
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02 Architectural Resilience Strengthens Human Resilience

Pre-Threat Principles:
Framework for Design Excellence, American Institute of Architects

  • Architects have learned to assess the risks of natural disasters over the life of a building, and recommend how building should be designed to be resilient

    • Resilience in design can be summarized as:

      • The capacity to adapt to changing conditions and to maintain or regain functionality and vitality in the face of stress or disturbance,

      • The capacity to bounce back after a disturbance or interruption,

      • The intentional design of buildings, landscapes, communities, and regions in response to these vulnerabilities.
        What is Resilient Design?, Resilient Design Institute

  • Architects help define performance goals for a project, anticipating its needs even in the case of a disaster event.

Threat Response Principles:
Resilience in a Pandemic, Resilient Design Institute

  • Maintain dense urban centers.

    Designing for Passive Survivability (the ability to keep occupants safe in the event of extended power outages or interruptions in heating fuel, or in a pandemic situation, the ability of a utility to provide timely service) of buildings becomes critical as maintaining delivery of utility and city services becomes less certain. Achieved in buildings via:

    • High levels of insulation,

    • passive solar design features,

    • cooling-load-avoidance strategies,

    • natural ventilation, daylighting, and other passive design features.

  • Maintain at least 2 forms of communications technology (cell service, internet, and/or landline).

  • Provide storage space to maintain long term supplies (up to 6 weeks) of food, water, and supplies.

  • Consider a building’s potential for adaptability for future pandemic response:

    • Transformation of student housing and hotels into hospitals, or care and rehabilitation centers,

    • Transformation of convention centers into hospitals or critical supply storage facilities.

 
 
 
 
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03 Humanity’s Relationship with Animals Must Improve

Pre-Threat Principles:

Threat Response Principles:

 
 
 
 
 
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04 The Next Pandemic Might Not Matter if we Don’t Solve Climate Change First

Pre-Threat Principles:

  • Humanity has 10 years to limit global temperature increase of 1.5 degrees C, considered the threshold to limit catastrophic planetary effects.
    Climate Change, United Nations

Threat Response Principles: