After days of curfew and total lockdown, with the exception of essential services, architects & designers have inched towards near-normalcy in that came with some welcome relaxations, but it is time to learn to live with the novel coronavirus. Much has changed in this post-pandemic world. Offices are opening with limited staff, businesses are slowly but steadily getting back on their feet. As construction sites open, work is resuming as we all adjust to the new normal.
Around the world, most governments who had claimed to tame the virus are now adjusting or have started preaching, How to live with the virus. We need to come to terms with the fact that the virus is here to stay. Apart from imposing lockdowns when necessary, the governments are looking for targeted ways to find and stop outbreaks before they become third or fourth waves. We now have to try and return to a world reimagined for the age of coronavirus, where social distancing, appropriate hygiene standards and government-imposed restrictions for better public health management are infused into nearly every activity of ours — a way of life that is likely to persist until a vaccine or a treatment is found and ready for use in the market.
Ar. Sumit Dhawan, Principal Architect Cityspace’82 shares his anecdotes about living with the virus. The first thing he did after the restrictions were uplifted was get back to work. Apart from taking the usual precautionary measures he is making a deliberate attempt to avoid physical meetings, which is by default an excellent social distancing measure. If a client still needs to see him in person, he/she is sanitized at the entry & made to sit at a safe distance. Every Saturday the office is fully sanitized and employees wear masks, face shield & gloves throughout the day. Contrary to popular belief, business has been good for Cityspace’82 architects. They are getting a good number of projects, especially luxury high-end residential bungalows. The sudden lockdown resulted in halting of projects which they have now resumed. Although the manpower is not available to full capacity, things are slowly & gradually getting better. The labour force is back and he assumes that in a month’s time, 80% of normalcy shall be achieved. Talking about how he plans to live with the virus, Ar. Sumit Dhawan suggests coming to terms with the new normal & quickly adapting to change. Sanitize, use masks, maintain social distance & switch to virtual meetings, he emphasizes.
The pandemic will not last forever & the things that architects & designers have been working on will need to continue when ready. This disruption has forced us all to question what is essential & taught us what is more important. The time is apt for architects, designers and clients as well to be more decisive & thoughtful about how to best leverage expertise, maximize value & treat people the right way. Humanity is on display & we should not be ashamed to show that we care for one another.