DESIGN SOLUTIONS
While planning and circulation create a path to wellness in the workplace, product solutions further help to prevent disease, encourage social distancing, and promote wellness and staff satisfaction.
Here’s a look at some useful tools for the post-COVID-19 workplace. And the good news is that with research and time, technology and innovation in product design will continue to get even better.
SKIP TO:
SIMPLE DIVIDERS
FUNCTIONAL DIVIDERS
DESK DIVIDERS
FINISHES
FIXTURES & HARDWARE
PLANTS AND BIOPHILIC DESIGN
SANITIZATION
EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHICS
INSTRUCTIONAL GRAPHICS
SIMPLE DIVIDERS
These are the most straightforward way of defining special zones, and serve architectural, aesthetic and wellness purposes. Durable and easy to clean materials include metal, resin, plam, PET, and glass.
Prudential Plaza Amenities
FUNCTIONAL DIVIDERS
These elements come into play when talking about breaking workstations down into neighborhoods of 16-30 people. By using these types of dividers, you can create zones without building hard walls.
National Lochlyn Shelving System
Buzzispace Buzziplanter
Corona Intersection Dividing System
DESK DIVIDERS
A sneeze guard at your desk? Acrylic screens are not durable or sustainable. Here are some better options. Most commercial felt can be cleaned with a bleach solution.
Buzzispace Buzzidesk Split Acoustic Desktop Divider
Watson Universal Pin Screen
Teknion Infinity Screen
FINISHES
Bright and light finishes can signal a clean, well-maintained space. The science behind antimicrobial surfaces is evolving, and there are many options that excel at cleanability in high traffic spaces.
Finish transitions – hard to soft flooring, change in ceiling plane or materiality, you can express paths of travel and zones of rest in an architectural way, making it clear to workers how to move through a space.
FAQ: With an increase in need for hard wipe-able surfaces, how will this affect acoustics?
Eastlake says: There still needs to be proper acoustic treatment using ceiling elements that may not require wipe down on a regular basis. With all the testing that goes into nylon carpet cleanability these days, soft floor surfaces will help with acoustics while still being durable and cleanable for a commercial environment.
FIXTURES & HARDWARE
For new construction, sloped sinks and touchless hardware and faucets are the best choices for high traffic restrooms. Cleanable grips are something that work well as a retrofit. UV light in a focused area or a small box can be helpful to sanitize commonly touched supplies.
StepNpull Hands-Free Foot Operated Door Handle
CB2 Marble Doorstop
Delta Trinsic Touchless and Voice Operated Faucet
HEALTHE® UV Sanitization Tote
PLANTS & BIOPHILIC DESIGN
Americans spend more than 90% of their lives inside of buildings. Adding Biophilic elements to workplace design, such as a green wall or live-edge table, communicates a connection to nature that is linked to many levels of well-being. Plants, sunlight, outdoor space, and natural surfaces like wood and stone, and the presence of water can positively change the physiological and psychological impacts the workplace has on us, improving blood flow, cognition, creativity, heart rate, stress levels, and more.
There are numerous resources on the benefits of bringing nature indoors. Here are a few.
Terrapin Bright Green: 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design
Metropolis: What is and isn’t Biophilic Design
Biophilic Design: The Architecture of Life
Duet Planter Wall Divider by Sage Green Life
SANITIZATION
Hand sanitizer dispensers, jars for disinfecting wipes, and other accessories don’t have to create a healthcare setting in the office. We are already seeing more aesthetically pleasing designs appear.
HALO Hand Sanitizing Station by Halcon
Simplehuman® Rechargeable Sensor Pump
EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHICS
Signage lets people know what is expected of them, creates a common contract between people in the space, and shows that the organization as a whole is engaged in wellness. Metaphorical images such as these engage people mentally to think deeper about social distancing measures and provide a personal reference point.
Please Stand posters by Ben Ostrower
INSTRUCTIONAL GRAPHICS
Branded, well designed graphics let people know the nuts and bolts of what is expected – where to wash hands, where to stand, etc. We’ve used these in our own studio to instruct staff on how many people can be in certain rooms, for instance.
View more examples in our studio case study. Need custom signage? We can help!
Eastlake Studio signage by Camille Hunter
