We have entered the new year but is this a post-COVID-19 month? Definitely not, but imagine if we’ve finally set foot into the post-COVID-19 period? We’ve compiled several tips for you on how to achieve a healthier workspace when we do reach the post-COVID-19 era.
Numerous companies have predicted what changes that COVID-19 will bring to the corporate world and how it will influence the interior design for workspaces. We have entered the new year but is this a post-COVID-19 month? Definitely not, but imagine if we’ve finally set foot into the post-COVID-19 period? Likely, the fear about workplace health and safety will still linger. In the post-COVID-19 workplace, we will be more aware of the hazards linked with surfaces we touch and the people we interact with. We’ll view many things through different lenses. Even a slight hay fever will trigger a warning in our brains. How do we achieve a healthier workspace setting?
The most fundamental factor that influences design and construction are people.
Design has an essential role in helping to solve many of the challenges that we face in daily life, including some of those raised by the outbreak. Good designers focus on the human experience of the workspaces that they design, which adds meaningful value. That means it’s not always about the aesthetics. This can be, enriching the overall experience of the workplace and as enhance human health and well-being.
Here are several tips that you can use to improve your workspace: –
Hand Hygiene Infrastructure
Just like we’ve mentioned earlier, people will still be very cautious on the surfaces that they’ve touched even after the pandemic is over. Thorough handwashing has been identified as one of the key ways people can help minimise their chances of catching Covid-19. We do not see this activity die down even after the pandemic is over. To limit touchpoints and reduce opportunities for pathogen transmission, handwashing infrastructure should be positioned strategically. Another improvement we can include is space clearance in sinks.
It’s time to improve the air quality of your office
Do you sometimes look for an excuse to escape from your office or workplace just because you feel like you can’t breathe in there? Stuffy offices can influence the health and productivity of the employees. Experts claimed that adequately designed air ventilation could aid to prevent the transmission of airborne contaminants like coronavirus. Workplaces need to have a well-designed and monitored systems to produce healthy indoor environments where pathogens are filtered, diluted and removed. Besides air ventilation, it doesn’t hurt to fill the workspace with indoor plants to help clean air by absorbing toxins, increasing humidity & producing oxygen.
Design to improve Mental Health
The pandemic has impacted each person differently, both short- and long term. The stress and fear associated with it, for instance, fear of going to public places and leaving home. Harnessing the power of design to heal gives us an incredible opportunity to aid in psychological recovery. Development and implementation of biophilic design principles proven to have an immediate, positive impact on mental health. Zack Sterkenberg from Ambius stated the benefits of biophilic design which includes
- Improved health
- Increased mood and feeling of well-being
- Improved productivity
- Reduced stress levels
- Mental restoration & reduced fatigue
