In whatever ways the pandemic might continue to affect the world, there's no doubt we're set to have some technological advancements in the years ahead.
Over the last ten years, intelligent buildings have emerged as a crucial component of the design process. Connected and automated solutions have provided operators with greater comfort, energy efficiency, and cost savings. But the COVID-19 pandemic brought another challenge to the frontlines of the building design projects: Hygiene.
Gone are the days of partitioned offices or work schedules set in stone. It's time for open-space, Flex Office, and coworking. Our working methods are changing irrevocably. These changes ricochet into the commercial real estate market, which has reinvented itself for the past decades.
While remote and technology-assisted learning was already on the rise, the COVID-19 pandemic made it an inevitability for millions of students of all levels around the world. Depending on their local and national public health regulations, some educational institutions have re-opened, some experiment with hybrid models of learning, and some continue a fully remote education.
The global spread of the COVID-19 has been asymmetrical: Some countries like New Zealand or Hong Kong were able to significantly reduce the cases by the middle of 2020, some were already embracing the so-called second wave. In the meantime, large and decentralized countries like the United States have seen the viral epicenters shift from dense cities to provincial areas.
From retirement homes to shopping centers, facility management during the COVID-19 outbreak has had central importance in managing this public health crisis. There's no doubt that it's an overwhelming and demanding time to execute excellent facility management during the COVID-19 challenge.
As some parts of the world are beginning to recover from the pandemic and outlining new roadmaps, hotel managers might be asking: What should hotels do before they re-open after COVID-19?
Hospitals are the most important pillar of healthcare. However, since COVID-19 started to spread globally, their significance for not just treatment, but also for testing and after-care grew exponentially. The medical research community documented that up to 80 percent of the COVID-19 cases might be mild or asymptomatic.
The coronavirus pandemic has been changing the world as we know it in both the short and long term. However, as billions stayed home to flatten the curve, few industries have been affected by COVID-19 like aviation and air travel. Between late March and April 2020, more than 20 major airlines suspended their operations by 100 percent.
Not long ago, the concept of remote construction might've sounded like science fiction to even the most technologically progressive companies. However, even though the digitization process of construction still faces hurdles, the sector is growing an increasing appetite for digital tools to boost efficiency.
Doorknobs are among the most touched items in day-to-day life, especially in public spaces like offices, hospitals, or educational institutions. The high intensity of human traffic in these places mean people might be depositing a large volume of harmful bacteria or viruses on doorknobs.