As designers we are uniquely qualified to help our clients and communities imagine new patterns and systems. Our teams are ready to assist with rapid facilities responses and innovative solutions to acknowledge that, in the future, every project in some form or another will be a healthcare project, and that each place we design will need to support public health and the greater good. Below are examples of how LS3P is responding to COVID and how it will change future designs. Early in 2020, Centene had a plan for its newThe current hybrid environment, with some team members working socially distanced in our offices, others working from home, and some preferring a mix of both options, has been extremely successful. We were curious as to how team members from different generations felt about this transition, so we asked three members of one family- all of whom work in different offices within the firm- to share their perspectives. Neil Dawson, LS3P’s Savannah Office Leader, brings the longest professional history of the three with over thirty years in architectural practice. His daughter Emily is an architect in the Charleston office, and his daughter Ellie is a recent graduate and a Marketing Coordinator in the Greenville office. Though the original author of the blessing “may you live in interesting times” may be lost to history, he or she would certainly agree that 2020 would qualify. Headlines from compounding crises compete for our attention and emotional resources. We have become numb to the word “unprecedented,” and we feel ill-equipped to process, let alone solve, the number of urgent issues that must be addressed. If we are, as it seems, at an inflection point requiring large-scale change and action on many fronts, where do we begin? Remember, the faith community is not the building, it is the people, even when they are at their own homes. Our job as designers is to create a building that is an effective tool to support the congregation. The coronavirus is not just a health crisis; it is a design problem, and every day we come up with solutions to solve problems through the built environment. So how are people using the physical worship building to help address the new challenges we face during the pandemic? On March 13, 2020, many students across North Carolina went to their schools for the last time of the 2019-2020 school year. COVID-19 was labeled a pandemic, as it spread across the United States forcing students and their families into quarantine. High school seniors who normally looked forward to special events like the prom and graduation were now facing the fact that these events were cancelled or being held online. Due to this, I was worried my summer internship would also be cancelled, so when I received my internship notification letter on May 18, 2020, I was ecstatic! After living with the threat of COVID-19 for several months, it is increasingly clear that we will need to manage this situation for some time to come. Habits and lifestyle changes adopted as pandemic strategies may prove enduring, and these changes will be reflected in our designs in both the short-term and long-term. Multifamily developments pose unique challenges and opportunities. Designers must consider how people use private residential spaces as well as public shared spaces. In both settings, design and operational strategies can support healthier, more comfortable lifestyles as needs evolve. When colleagues at Mazzetti asked LS3P to join an effort led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE), we were honored and humbled by the opportunity to help. The directive was to present strategies for circulation, social distancing, PPE, and ventilation for an existing healthcare facility in Dedougou, Burkina Faso to prepare for a potential influx of COVID-19 patients. The urgency of the situation was reflected in the ambitious timeline- eight days from kickoff meeting to final draft. COVID-19’s impacts on the travel industry are vast and far-reaching. With the global pandemic affecting travel worldwide, air travel has plunged to post 9/11 levels. Disruptions to the industry are likely to persist as long as the virus remains a threat, and many people will choose not to fly long after restrictions are lifted due to COVID-related health concerns or economic constraints. Over the past few weeks, we have found ourselves in the midst of a unique opportunity. We have been forced to change our routines, and our days look very different than they used to. A change of perspective can be enlightening: when we move through the same routine every day, it is easy to keep on our blinders and focus only on the things along our own path. When our routines are suddenly altered, however, we may discover and learn new things. This can be a difficult or even frightening process, so we rarely do it by choice. A visit to the doctor will not be the same after COVID-19. As our healthcare practitioners prepare to re-open medical office buildings after COVID-19 closures, they will be working in a very different medical landscape. Healthcare organizations are committed to delivering the best possible care for their patients, and are extremely conscious of new protocols for both patient and staff safety. LS3P is exploring with our clients ways in which clinics can adapt the physical environment to help maintain physical distancing and follow CMS recommendations for reopening facilities to provide non-emergent, non-COVID-19 healthcare. With campus cultures rooted in socialization, communal activities, and interdisciplinary collaborations, colleges and universities around the globe face big unknowns in the face of COVID-19 disruptions and recovery. What is known is that higher education in the era of COVID-19 will look significantly different until this pandemic subsides. Although the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will not be understood for some time, the workplace as we know it will certainly change. We must strategize new ways to learn and grow from what we are experiencing in order to make the workplace as safe and healthy as possible for all. School districts across the United States (and around the world) have been impacted by the recent COVID-19 virus outbreak. School closures have affected 9 out of 10 children globally; we have never before experienced an educational disruption of this scale and duration. Students, teachers, administrators, and parents all look forward to schools reopening, sooner or later, begging the question: What happens when we return to school? In a natural disaster, maintaining hospital function is critical to an effective response. For several years now, LS3P, a regional architecture, interiors, and planning firm with eight offices in the Southeast, has been working with hospitals and other critical infrastructure to bolster Resiliency Preparedness plans. The strategies which emerged from these plans focused on rapid recovery after hurricanes, floods, or snowstorms. Suggestions typically involved hardened HVAC systems in strategic locations; bolstered IT systems; hurricane resistant exterior wall, window, and roof systems; and so forth. Then COVID-19 hit. Cybernetic Care Blurring the Line Between Telehealth and In-Person Care Due to COVID-19, telehealth evolved from a luxury to the preferred method for routine care in the United States. This revealed opportunities to use our digital tools in more efficient ways. Cybernetics, the driving concept behind artificial intelligence, integrated with healthcare delivery will entirely overhaul the system: eliminating waiting rooms,Emergency Operations Centers An Emergency Operations Center (EOC) serves as a secure location for decision making and communication in the event of an emergency. Most often used by government entities (local, state, or national) or corporations, the EOC is a critical facility supporting disaster response. The purpose of this white paper is to identify and evaluate best practices for EOCSix Feet Apart, Together Maximizing Your Current Schools While Physical Distancing School systems around the nation are grappling with the complexities of opening their facilities to varying degrees this fall. Doing so as safely as possible will require creative solutions to implement CDC and other public health guidelines for physical distancing, face coverings, handwashing, and operational strategies for continuous cleaning.Post-COVID Restroom Strategy An attempt to create a touch-free environment The office gang restroom is said to be the primary deterrent to companies reopening. To address physical distancing, hygiene, and sanitization needs in gang restrooms, the following strategies may be appropriate. Read more...Designing for Resilience Adapting Facilities for the COVID Era As our businesses and public spaces begin to reopen across the country, few places will function exactly the way they did before “COVID-19” and “physical distancing” were part of the common lexicon. We have experienced rapid global change at a scale few could have imagined just months ago. Our knowledge continuesPhysical Distancing in Formal Campus Learning Spaces As higher education institutions work through the endless logistics of returning to campus, all are facing common problems including incorporating physical distancing guidelines set forth by the CDC and public health experts. Formal learning spaces, including classrooms, lecture halls, and seminar rooms, can meet these guidelines at lower occupancies than their design capacities.COVID-19's Effect on the Workplace Although the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will not be understood for some time, the workplace as we know it will certainly change. We must strategize new ways to learn and grow from what we are experiencing in order to make the workplace as safe and healthy as possible for all. Employers are nowTransformation Tuesday: Work from Home Edition, Finding the Silver Linings These are strange times. Nobody who is experiencing the spring of 2020 is likely to forget it. It started with a dangerous virus which for weeks had felt far away becoming, suddenly, very local. The early stages of denial that something like this could ever happen here in the Southeast We are Fully OperationalAs we all respond to this unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, LS3P has transitioned to a Work From Home (WFH) status for all employees until further notice, based on the official “stay in place” orders issued by federal, state, and local authorities. We want to assure you that we remain fully operational. Our robust technology infrastructure allows each employee full access to project files, software, and other tools required to keep projects moving forward. We have state-of-the art video and teleconferencing tools available for teams to meet virtually as needed. As always, our team members are readily accessible to you via phone and e-mail. As this virus and the situation continues to evolve, we will continue to adapt our practices to best support our people and our clients. We appreciate your patience as we all navigate this period of uncertainty. We wish health and safety to you and all our communities. Please reach out to LS3P project managers, team members, and any member of our Leadership Team with questions. We are here to serve you. We are prepared to assist with evolving needs as we navigate this challenge together. Client AccessPlease log in to access files though Newforma. infoexchange.LS3P.comVideo Conferencing: ZoomFor more information about our video conferencing system please click below. ZOOM ON A COMPUTER: The first time you use Zoom a quick download will occur, please allow five minutes for this to run before your first Zoom call (this will not be needed for any future calls). To download this in advance please click here and follow the instructions after the EXE file downloads. ZOOM ON MOBILE: Zoom is also available on mobile devices. To install the app please click here from your mobile device and scroll down to “Zoom Mobile App” – or search “Zoom” in the application center on your device. ZOOM ON PHONE: All Zoom meetings can also be accessed using a phone number found on the Zoom invite; please note if you call in using the phone option the other participants will not see you they will only see your phone number. HOW DO I TEST MY VIDEO AND MICROPHONE? To test your video and microphone before your first meeting please click here. HOW DO I ACCESS THE ZOOM MEETING ONCE IT’S INSTALLED? LS3P will provide you with a direct link to the Zoom meeting. using ZoomVideo Conferencing: Microsoft TeamsFor more information about Microsoft Teams click below. What is Microsoft Teams? Navigating Teams Get Your Team Up and Running Create and Format a Post Upload and Share Files Explore Activities Use “Chats” Join a Teams Meeting Plan a Teams Meeting: Directly in Teams | Using Outlook More Videos on Teams Please click here to contact one of our offices.