6 California Buildings News • Q3 2020
Buildings Will Be Healthier in the Future Surge of Innovations, Better Practices Will Overcome Coronavirus Challenges Clean is certainly the new green. And clean in a "healthy" building increasingly means germ-suppression. That's the new absolute in buildings design and operation. Workers, tenants, guests, visitors, customers and patients in the Age of COVID-19 must be assured that going into a facility does not result in a trip to the ER. Even with a vaccine, the world will still need to protect itself since vaccines will not eradicate the virus. That means the economy will have to get back and running during a years-long siege. And we can do it! But indoors will be different—and in some ways better than before. Photo: Adobe Stock.
Manufacturers, building operators and commercial real estate service providers are creating clear paths toward healthier work environments. And if people cooperate by masking, distancing and practicing hygiene, buildings can function effectively again. A study by Californiaheadquartered architectural firm Gensler shows that the overwhelming majority of employees want to spend at least some of their time in a physical workplace. (See page 16 for more on Gensler.) Buildings that can demonstrate a healthy profile will have an enormous competitive advantage,
many speakers said at the recent virtual conference of the Buildings Owners and Managers Association International. (See page 22.) How are building managers ensuring that their facilities are “healthy?” California Buildings News surveyed many of California’s top commercial real estate executives and researched many other relevant sources to help answer that question. Since we spend 90% of our time in buildings, the CRE industry has been focusing on healthier buildings in recent years, but this will only become more intense during the pandemic.
