The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined daily life. From working environments to required face coverings to food delivery to entertainment, the effects and aftermath of social distancing may be here to stay for a very long time. These are unchartered waters and architecturally speaking, will no doubt have an impact on the design of future gathering spaces. Therefore, it is incumbent on the architectural community to look for ways to not only mitigate virus transmission, but to design safer gathering spaces.
Research Suggests...
Fortunately, early medical studies support this and suggest that contracting COVID-19 while at a socially distanced outdoor event is much less likely than attending that same event indoors. Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. Studies conducted through the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory concluded:
“...the odds that a primary case transmitted Covid-19 in a closed environment was 18.7 times greater compared to an open-air environment.” Further: “All identified outbreaks of three or more cases occurred in an indoor environment, which confirms that sharing indoor space is a major SARS-CoV-2 infection risk.”
In this blog post series, we’ll look at several key areas within the church campus where design can have a major impact on the occupants’ safety and protection from transmitting and/or contracting COVID-19 or other viruses.
As churches begin to reopen, federal, state, city and county health and safety guidelines are in place to help prevent new cases of COVID-19. But beyond best-practices of hand sanitizer stations, daily deep cleaning, and seating people six feet apart, the act of taking the church outside is worth considering.
Considerations for the Church Property:
The “art of arrival”, the church gets only one first impression. The site needs to look neat, tidy, and clean with clear signage for direction.
Directional signs need to consider one-way traffic and people flow, especially sidewalks going in two directions.
Utilize parking lot greeters and guest service volunteers outside the building to better direct guests and regular attenders.
Time between services may need to be lengthened to allow between service crossover and people entering/exiting the parking lots.
Consider widening sidewalks along major pedestrian flow areas to better allow social distancing and avoiding two-way directions.
Drive-In service potential for those wanting to be on campus but not comfortable leaving their car and entering the building.
Park cars every other space to increase social distancing a better control people flow in parking lots to the building.
Obviously, outdoor gathering settings are weather-dependent and may be used only a handful of months out of the year, depending on your geography. However, with thoughtful design these spaces can contribute aesthetically and, by extension, in spiritual ways year-round. For example:
Provide outdoor green spaces with intentional landscaping and seating for meditation/contemplation and prayer.
Research shows the importance and link between outdoor space and our physical/mental well-being, this type of space could also be open to community uses and church outreach.
Always consider 6’ outdoor furniture spacing to encourage social distancing.
How about an outdoor classroom, bible study, or small event? The outdoors offers “free” space.
Our next blog post will consider indoor design changes of the lobby/common areas and restrooms for church design during this pandemic predicament.