PORTLAND, Ore. — There's a good chance you are working from home these days. But when you do go back to work, the reality is, things could look a lot different.
A Portland-based architect and engineering firm is helping businesses adapt and remodel for a post-COVID world.
"The trend in recent years is to push for more collaborative work spaces and higher density, so we're having to rethink those and look to reconfigure and spread people out," said Dietrich Wieland, president of Mackenzie Architectural, Engineering and Design.
The firm just put out a COVID-19 design guide available for any business to download.
"This design guide is meant to boil it all down to a really simple easy to understand resource," Wieland said.
So what might we expect to see in future workplaces? One-way traffic is one thing.
"You may have separate entrances and exits as you move through a building or a workspace... you may have one-way aisles similar to what you see in grocery stores," Wieland explained.
Another thing we'll likely see is increased touch-less technology. No more reaching for that door handle or elevator button. Things will be much more hands-free.
"That could include more use of touch-less entries, touch-less elevators, apps that are enabled by your phone that allow you to navigate and operate aspects of the buildings without having to touch things," Wieland said.
As for your work space? Those face-to-face work stations will likely be a thing of the past. Think more along the lines of your high school geometry class seating. Everyone with their own desk all facing the same direction.
And remember cubicles? They might also make a comeback.
Even the furniture might change.
"Furniture and finishes that are easy to clean and maintain over time and stuff like that, we're taking a look at," Wieland said.
Not all that surprising, Wieland said the biggest challenge will be restrooms. A post-COVID version of those might include fewer sinks and possibly fewer doors.
"Doors on remote operators or eliminating doors altogether, hands-free sinks, faucets, paper towel dispensers," he said.
The bottom line is things might look different when we head back to our workplaces. It might even be a bit uncomfortable at first. But all those changes will make them safer.