George Brown College, Daphne Cockwell Centre for Health Sciences, by Stantec Architecture and KPMB Architects, Architects in Joint Venture. Photo Tom Arban
TEXT Bruce Kuwabara, Partner; Geoff Turnbull; Director of Innovation; Kael Opie, Senior Associate; Mitchell Hall, Principal, KPMB Architects
Post-secondary education has been shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic, with teaching moving online midway through the spring semester?and, for many colleges and universities, remaining at least partly online through the fall. Some have speculated that the shift to online learning will become permanent, and that some post-secondary facilities will close entirely. But our academic clients remain focused on the long-term development of their campuses, albeit with a greater emphasis on designing facilities that ensure the safety of students and staff. Designing for health and wellness is good design for COVID
Beyond the physical distancing measures that will, at least temporarily, need to be implemented within classrooms and campuses, we strongly believe that air quality is critical to the health and well-being of people who inhabit academic buildings. We know from work by immunologists like Erin Bromage at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth that the formula for spread of infection is:
Successful Infection = Exposure to Virus x Time
This indicates we need to be especially concerned about spaces that are occupied for extended periods of time, including offices, lecture halls, and la...