Adjusting Your Buildings in a Post-COVID World
Adapted By Mark Jolicoeur, AIA, LEED AP
Managing Principal
Perkins&Will
Richard Young, AIA, LEED AP
Senior Associate
Perkins&Will
This article has been adapted from information produced by Perkins&Will research team of Erika Eitland, MPH, ScD, Brook Trivas and Rachael Dumas.
Not a healthy schools’ moment… A healthy schools’ movement!The COVID-19 pandemic thrust our schools in a state of instant adaptation. As we evolve to a post-COVID world, we have been forced to open our eyes to student, teacher, staff and community health needs in an unprecedented way — and there is no turning back. We must be proactive and thoughtful adjusting and adapting existing schools for the future. The World Health Organization states “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” In 2020, the pandemic illuminated that K-12 schools have a tremendous influence on all aspects of both individual and community health, whether this involves disease transmission or accessing regular meals.