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WSJ: new (luxury) buildings will adapt to the pandemic with touchless options, better stairs (updated)

What Buildings Will Look Like After the Covid Crisis, the Wall Street Journal reported 7/29/20.

While part of the article concerned properties built out of cities, it also noted that designers are recognizing the demand for home offce space and private outdoor space, as well as more capacious stairs, to avoid elevators.

New buildings can have "horizontal ventilation, with each residential unit having its own system, as opposed to the traditional vertical system that filters air throughout a tower,: according to the article.

The article quotes former Forest City exeuctive MaryAnne Gilmartin, whose company MAG Partners plans a new luxury rental building in Chelsea:
[T]he crisis has inspired her to upgrade air filters, create a separate entry for deliveries, and add touchless elements that let residents use their phones to call elevators and open doors.
The developer of a project in Oakland acknowledged the demand for work-from-home space, which is accommodated by furniture that can somehow be adapted from bedroom to home office.

The issue for non-luxury buildings is how much adaptation fits the budget. The developer of the B12/B13 towers at Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, for example, has said their assumption is that, by 2023 when the towers open, the crisis will be over.

From Brick Underground

A 7/29/20 article from Brick Underground, These architects think Covid will leave its mark on NYC apartment building design, surveys contemplated changes, including "a new live/work building with ground-floor storefronts, apartments, and separate offices for residents," which also could be used by outsiders.

Given the limiteds quare footage available, architects are reconfigured underutilized spaces into small offices, while others add terraces and outdoor space.

Touchless technology can be added not just to elevators, but also faucets, doors and toilets. Also, building materials can be chosen for antibacterial or easy-to-clean qualities, inlcuding copper handles, quartz counters, and anti-bacterial cork flooring.

Air conditioners may include new filters while ultraviolet light fixtures may be added.

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