AEC Future due to COVID-19

07 May AEC Future due to COVID-19

Here are some forward-looking thoughts from Hugh, some of which surfaced in the Architectural Record interview:

1. The success that many firms are experiencing in the work-at-home environment will provide more opportunities and flexibility as remote working becomes recognized as a way to do good work, to work efficiently, and to enable alternative life-work balances.
2. Similarly, companies and institutions will look for more ways to capitalize on working remotely.  Some future projects will be smaller since there will be fewer people there at once, and this will be particularly true when concerns about social distancing lessen.  Until that happens, fewer people will require more space to keep separated.  Workplace planning and design will continue, in the post-COVID-19 era, to challenge conventional functional and design parameters.
3. Communication technologies, including how practitioners in all design disciplines, will evolve to enable more effective remote communications with clients, consultants, contractors, and other players in the process.
4. Projects that serve discretionary desires – hospitality, entertainment, and leisure – will come back slowly, perhaps after an initial surge.
5. Bricks-and-mortar retail will continue to decline.
6. Distribution and delivery companies will expand, as will the need for facilities.
7. Industry based in the US will expand, reflecting societal anxiety over imports from Asia and a nationalistic desire to decrease dependency on imports.  A downside of this is that increased nationalistic mentality will increase tensions globally.  However, this increased tension will serve to increase the need for US industrial facilities.
8. The airline industry will take a long time to recover, and when it does, post-recovery airline experiences will continue to differ from pre-COVID-19 travel.  With more distancing on planes, fares will increase with decreased passenger load, which will in turn reduce travel by that large segment of travelers who are price sensitive.

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Cheers, Simon.