CREJ

June 2020 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \ 15 gejohnson.com Leading and building projects with the best people and ideas 260 North Josephine Street Denver, CO Bridging the Gap though they, too, may becomemore spread out. While we might trade fewer huddle rooms for larger work- stations and compensatewith video chat, neither should rad- ically change because of social distancing. We will still need spaces to gather and collaborate as well as spaces to put our heads down and produce. Each organization will be a little different. Therewill even be different subsets of solutions for various departments or individual end-user groups. We might add more directional travel in some spaces, sim- ilar to how the shopping market has reshaped its flow of cart traffic. It’s possible that we reduce occupancy limits in office suites or on elevators to provide more distance. Surely antimicrobial surfaces and increased air filtration systems common to hospitals could migrate to office buildings. Tech- nology, particularly connectivity needs and expectations, in- evitably will shift to accommodate new modes of working; it certainly has made remote work far more effective, which has been extremely helpful for those of us who have access. So yes, some things will change. But not everything will. And not everything should. The key for designers and archi- tects is to ensure the changes make us more adaptable – not less. Ultimately, buildings and all of the spaces inside are a re- flection of us. They tell a story about who we are as people and what we value. This crisis will have a part in our story, but it should not write the story for us. We are still creative, resilient, compassionate and capable beings. Let the robust design dialogue begin, and let’s move forward deliberately, attentively and cautiously. And never forget whowe are. \\ We still need spaces to gather and collaborate.