October 3, 2022
In this illuminating collection of short essays, 90 architects, building designers, and public health officials reflect on “the built environment’s relationship to communicable disease.” Architect Brownell (Hypernatural) writes in the introduction that modern buildings are designed to prioritize cheap materials at the expense of human health and environmental sustainability, but that better design could be a boon to human health. In “The Nowhere Office,” Julia Hobsbawm considers what role offices will play in the future of work, and “Quarantine, or the Art of Intermediary Space” by Geoff Manaugh and Nicola Twilley looks at how quarantine, invented as a means of controlling the Black Death in the 14th century, has changed over time. Practical solutions are in no short supply: radiant cooling is a good idea per Weitzman architecture professor Dorit Aviv; architect and engineer Kyoung Hee Kim touts the biochromic window, which uses “multifunctional microalgae” to improve air quality; and designers should incorporate more foot-pulls to doors, according to public health administrator Nancy Mourad. The short pieces are easy to dip in and out of—each is about a page long—and photos and diagrams show the design principles in action. Smart and creative, this compendium delivers.
Starred review from February 1, 2023
In this absorbing collection, architect Brownell (professor and director of the David R. Ravin Sch. of Architecture, Univ. of North Carolina--Charlotte; Transmaterial Next) brings together leading architects, designers, material scientists, and health officials to review the influence of COVID on the built environment and to offer pragmatic solutions that will safeguard U.S. infrastructure from future pandemics, viruses, and contagious diseases. The work is intended for general readers and for practitioners and students of architecture and interior and urban design. The book examines approaches, designs, and systems used to curtail the effects of communicable diseases on building structures and on people. It also highlights problems with conventional strategies, outlines alternatives, and explores new design ideas for urban streets, parks, and gardens that are thought-provoking, challenging, and fascinating. Each entry consists of a two-page introduction and a one-page article with loads of amazing, colorful images and designs that demonstrate how things can look and work. In a compelling, concise, and entertaining tone, scholars and practitioners contribute firsthand knowledge about air filtration, sensors, acoustic quiet spaces, supply-chain resilience, interpersonal distance, school-site designs, and more. VERDICT An astute, visually appealing, fun-to-read book about COVID's impact on buildings, cityscapes, and the environment, with insightful, innovative recommendations for future best practices.--Rob Tench
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