AIA releases guidelines for safer re-occupancy of buildings

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has released the Re-occupancy Assessment Tool, which provides strategies for limiting exposure to COVID-19 in buildings.

AIA’s Disaster Assistance Committee developed the tool to provide public officials, businesses, and architects with practices that protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public while businesses, stores, restaurants, etc., reopen. The tool provides a framework of strategies and general mitigation measures that can help reduce exposure to COVID-19.

This document provides architects, private clients, and civic leaders strategies for reoccupying buildings and businesses that are in the process of transitioning from being fully closed to fully open which includes:

• baseline parameters for re-occupancy;
• architectural and engineering strategies for site and site arrival, building envelope, fixtures and furnishings, plumbing, and HVAC;
• administrative policies and procedures to reduce the spread of pathogens and support physical distancing; and
• policies and procedures related to personal protective equipment (PPE).

“This may be the most pivotal and defining moment in our lifetime for design,” said AIA 2020 President Jane Frederick, FAIA.  “Architects are needed in this crisis to help safely transition our communities back to offices, schools, and the many other places that are important in shaping our daily lives.”

Using credible science, a multi-disciplinary team of architects, public health experts, engineers, product designers, and facility managers will evaluate behavioral, spatial, material, and operational strategies to customize the tool for a variety of building types, including:

• offices;
• schools (K-12);
• multi-unit dwellings;
• retail establishments, restaurants; and
• senior care facilities.

Findings will be released in phases as they become available, with a priority focused on strategies that address immediate needs. Long-term strategies will also be developed for making buildings more resilient in the face of pandemics, natural hazards, climate change and other risks.