How Social Distance Inspired Designers/Architects?
During this special period, “Social Distance” was a frequent word in our daily life. Just like the saying that I usually see recently, “one meter is the distance that I love you”.
Designers have also gone to great lengths to keep people at a safe distance while enjoying their social lives.
Today, we will share four design examples of “social distancing” to see how designers can use their ideas to make life better.
Study safe
By Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture
The UK government has announced plans to reopen primary schools from June, and CLTH Architecture has designed a new type of classroom to address the issue of safe distances in lessons. The structure of each classroom follows the rules of the social distance of two meters, which both ensures the circulation of air and allows flexible adjustment according to the needs of the class.
Work Safe
Q Workntine is a gas-tight pod system recently unveiled by Architect Moahmed Radwan of the Arab Academy of Science and Technology. The hexagonal honeycomb shape design is beautiful and flexible, and the office staff can assemble it by themselves according to their needs, so as to optimize the office space while ensuring the original number of the office staff. In addition, the work cabin is equipped with automatic handleless acrylic doors controlled by facial recognition to reduce cross-infection. As the cabin is completely sealed, ventilation fans and air purifiers are installed to keep the air clean.
Eat Safe
“We want people to feel safe eating together and sharing food.”
With this in mind, Mediamatic ETEN, a restaurant at the Mediamatic Centre for the Arts in Amsterdam, Netherlands, has created a new safe dining experience called the “quarantine greenhouse”, each small greenhouse providing intimate dining space for two diners at the same time. In addition, on a security level, employees wear protective clothing (gloves and masks) and use long wooden trays outside the room to deliver food to customers.
Gathering Safe
By Caret Studio
In the Italian small town, Wikio, near Lorenza, the Italian design firm Caret Studio has designed an improvised device called “StoDistante” (keep your distance) to ensure that people can safely return to outdoor areas. The square grids in The Place Giotto are 1.8 meters apart, the minimum social safety distance in Tuscany during the outbreak. It can be said that this device creates new perspectives and ways of interacting in the existing environment.
While these installations are the hard works of designers, I would look forward to the day we do not need them, and we no longer have to keep the social distance.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in Life Outside of Design Studio and has been updated for accuracy and completeness.