Image courtesy of John Folan

Millvale Moose is an adaptive reuse project that won an AIA Pennsylvania Honor Award and a Design Pittsburgh Certificate of Merit.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Two projects led by John Folan, a University of Arkansas professor and the 2018-2019 AIAS Educator Honor Award recipient, earned design awards from both the Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh chapters of the American Institute of Architects.

Folan, the recently appointed head of the Department of Architecture in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, led the two projects, Millvale Moose and Home Incubator, as the director of the Urban Design Build Studio (UDBS) at Carnegie Mellon University.

Folan came to the U of A in July 2019, and he brought the Urban Design Build Studio with him. Since arriving to campus, he also was named the recipient of the 2018-2019 Educator Honor Award from the American Institute of Architecture Students, the most prestigious award that the AIAS confers on an educator.

"John Folan's receipt of both national architecture education honors and state AIA design practice honors within six months of his arrival to the Fay Jones School punctuates emphatically his appointment as department head and professor of architecture," said Peter MacKeith, dean of the school. "We are so fortunate in his leadership of the department, and in his immediate demonstrations of dedicated, selfless teaching and excellence in professional practice. As these awards and honors indicate, John leads by both active example and supportive mentorship of others. The school is privileged by his presence and proud of his accomplishments."

For the AIA design awards, Millvale Moose won an Honor Award in the Impact Design category at the 2019 AIA Pennsylvania Architectural Excellence Awards and a Certificate of Merit in the Small Projects category at Design Pittsburgh 2019.

Home Incubator won a Bronze Award in the Impact Design category at the 2019 AIA Pennsylvania Architectural Excellence Awards and a Certificate of Merit in the Small Projects category at Design Pittsburgh 2019.

Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, the E. Fay Jones Chair in Architecture at the Fay Jones School and principal of Marlon Blackwell Architects, led the jury for the 2019 AIA Pennsylvania Architectural Excellence Design Awards.

Urban Design Build Studio, which was founded by Folan in 2008, is a public interest design entity. The collaborative of students, professors and professionals work on the implementation of projects that benefit communities that do not have access to design services. Folan said all UDBS projects are community centered and regionally specific. In Pittsburgh, UDBS work focused on issues of vacancy, blight, and the reuse and repurposing of associated building material waste.

"The idea is to take materials that are normally associated with waste, divert them from landfills, and develop processes for converting the materials into something that has a new life, new vitality and is inherently of the place," he said.

The Millvale Moose project is an adaptive reuse of an abandoned Moose Lodge in Millvale, Pennsylvania, that transformed an underutilized structure into a public venue housing a commercial kitchen and a communal social space. The project used reconstituted marble slabs and lumber from buildings that were taken down.

The Design Pittsburgh jury noted that the project's "creative reuse of materials shows that budget does not limit imagination. The end result is a combination of craft, technology, process, fabrication, material reuse and attention to detail while creating a flexible solution to serve the community."

Folan said the Millvale Moose project is the result of a private-public partnership. The kitchen and building are shared by a for-profit restaurant that offers discounted meals, job skills training and cooking classes for local residents, as well as a nonprofit food rescue entity that collects food that local restaurants would otherwise throw out and redistributes it to those in need throughout Pittsburgh.

Folan and a UDBS fellow worked with community members on the Millvale Moose design. In the UDBS Fellowship program, Folan takes on apprentices, usually for a period of three years, and mentors them through their internship to professional registration. The fellows are selected from students who have worked through Folan's UDBS studios as undergraduate or graduate students and have demonstrated an ability to empower others through public interest design.

"It's an important distinction. We're trying to empower the people we work with to act through their own agency," Folan said. "When we're successful, those residents take ownership and are able to replicate processes and projects themselves."

The Home Incubator is a mobile community engagement tool used to enhance communication about housing-related issues specific to Pittsburgh. It was funded by Ford Motor Company and completed in collaboration with East Liberty Development Incorporated, a non-profit developer focused on implementation of mixed-income development.

The Design Pittsburgh jury noted that the project's "innovation, ingenuity, functionality, structural integrity and beauty demonstrated how architects can put our unique skills and artistry toward non-traditional creations to engage communities and solve problems."

The Home Incubator project acts as an in-situ negotiation table for community leaders, financial counselors, social counselors and residents to discuss vacancy, gentrification, displacement and need. Education is central in understanding the nuances of mixed-income development and misconceptions about its role in gentrification, Folan said. The project helps ensure that fixed-income residents understand opportunities available in controlling their own futures and staying in place.

"In Pittsburgh, and elsewhere, when mixed-income development is successful, improvements to the physical environment are often perceived as gentrification by long-term residents," Folan said. "In many cases, without cause, long-term, fixed-income residents leave because there is a perception of not belonging, and being pushed out. There are policies and mechanisms available to long-term residents that enable them to stay in place, often by leveraging the benefits of market rate development. The point is to bring people together who don't normally communicate with one another."

The mobile outreach and demonstration tool was made from waste cardboard and lumber, materials that are often negatively associated with the neighborhoods where the project is deployed. As with the Millvale Moose project, the modesty of the waste material is deceptive when transformed into the finished project.

The Home Incubator is a network of adaptable forms that can be used as a communal table for feasts in the neighborhoods, storytelling, real-time manipulation of building design in virtual reality and a theater. The project also provides an opportunity for the collection of oral histories and the imagination of resilient futures.

Carnegie Mellon undergraduate students in a variety of disciplines worked with Folan and community members to complete the project, which underwent several iterations before they settled on the final mobile-based design.

Folan is currently working with 52 students and three faculty members on the first UDBS project to be conducted through the U of A, the Ross and Mary Whipple Family Forest Education Center at Garvan Woodland Gardens.

The work follows the same guiding principles: community input, collective intelligence, resilience and appropriate design. At its core, the project focuses on environmental and economic futures for Arkansans. Waste materials may be incorporated into the work in Arkansas, too.

"Material waste is a problem everywhere. We generate a lot of waste, even at the Fay Jones School, where people are highly conscious about sustainability and climate change," he said.

When developing projects, Folan said the UDBS emphasizes replicable strategies, so the projects can sustain relevance beyond the immediate region and ultimately address issues of affordability over time.

Although public interest design and design-build are messy and unpredictable, Folan said that the experiences are valuable for students. These experiences help students understand the hierarchy of values and the physical realities of putting projects together on a timeline, with a budget and for a specific purpose.

"One of the common beliefs when you're developing as a designer is that everything is equally important, and it really is not," Folan said. "There are hierarchies. Things in the development of a project always present as being more important than others."

Designing with the needs of the public in mind can change the design process, because the end result has to be practical for the community. Folan said that AIA Pennsylvania's impact design award category requires evidence that a project has an impact and is used by the community.

For students, the value of this recognition lies in establishing professional relevance at a young age and tangibly demonstrating their own efficacy as change agents, he said. These awards help build their confidence and resumes.

For the communities, Folan said, this recognition instills pride where it is often in very short supply. For those stakeholders who play a significant role in realizing the projects, it gives them confidence to share their voices in the future.

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John Folan, Professor and Head of Architecture, Accorded National and Pennsylvania Honors - University of Arkansas Newswire

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced tightened COVID-19-related travel restrictions for people living in the province's north Thursday, including an order requiringnorthern residents to remain in their local communities and to practise physical distancing.

Exceptions will only be made for critical items like collecting groceries and medical appointments.

The updated public health order also restrictsall non-critical travel (including those with primary residences in the region) into and out of a broad swath of land known as theNorthern Saskatchewan Administrative District, which covers nearly half of the province but has a low populationrelative to the rest of Saskatchewan.

Travel between northern communities is also restricted, though some exceptions are being made.

"Travel to and from La Ronge and Stony Rapids from outside the [district]is allowed, but individuals are not permitted to stop in any other community," according to a government release issued Thursday."Travel related to the delivery of essential services will continue to be permitted."

Here's a map showing theregion affected by the restrictions. Don't see it? Click here.

Moe said the new laws came at the request of northern mayors and leaders.

The premier singled out the northwest part of the district, including La Loche.

"We are asking people to stay at home, stay in their community, in particular in those communities in the northwest," he said. "This is one area of Saskatchewan where if you can stay at home, not just in your community, but at home, we're asking you to do so. It works in controlling this virus."

The province also announced new funding to help those communities combat the spread of the virus, including $350,000 to help establish, staff and maintain community checkpoints.

A separate $20,000 will go to La Locheto help foster food security and launch educational programs to encourage safe behaviour during the pandemic.

Thursday's news was foreshadowed a day earlier.

Moe said Wednesday thatMinister of Government RelationsLori Carrwas on a call with leaders in northern communities. The comment came in response to a question about a potential "next step" in travel restrictions.

"The conversation specific to the La Locheregion is how can we actually enhance the protection that we have in that particular area," Moe said. "So there willbe more to come, likely within the next 24 to 48 hours, on what the longer-term travel restrictions will look like in the north."

Moe said the restrictions might relax in other areas "where we do not have a large number of positive cases at this point in time."

No such relaxationwasannounced Thursday.

As of Thursday, there were 58cases overall in the far north, including 39cases in La Loche.

That includes the sixth person to die from complications from the virus: 85-year-old Agnes McDonald, a resident of La Loche Health Centre. She was the second resident of the facility to die in connection with COVID-19.

One new case in La Loche was announced Thursday.

The province is sending between 50 and 100 more health workers to the north to help with testing, assessment and contact tracing. Mobile and door-to-door testing is also planned and anyone in the area who wants to get tested will get tested.

The province has also set aside social housing units for people who need to self-isolate.

La Loche also now has a portableGeneXperttesting machine that allows for speedy testing.

Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, first announced the outbreak in La Loche on April 17. One staff member and one resident at La Loche Health Centre had tested positive for the virus. That number has since grown to five:two workers and three long-term care residents.

One week later, Shahab and Moe announced a new public health orderrestricting all non-critical travel into northern Saskatchewan. The order also gave northern leaders full legal authority to enforce highway checkpoints.

Shahab also strongly recommended against any non-essential travel between communities within northern Saskatchewan. Thursday's announcement effectively makes that law.

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili, speaking eariler in the day Thursday during his daily news conference, was close to the mark when suggesting how restrictions might be tightened in the north.

"If you're discovering that you've got lots of unnecessary travel happening despite it being a strong recommendation and those checkpoints are in place then we might need to go to stronger measures and actual prohibitions," Meili said.

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Sask. orders northern residents to stay in their home communities - CBC.ca

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The ESD flooring market continues to grow and evolve as robotics and other electronics are deployed in new ways within various work environments. Mobile robots, for example, which can build up a charge when operating on standard flooring, are increasingly common in warehouses where they increase productivity and allow e-commerce operators to meet customer demands for faster delivery times. In such cases, warehouses that once relied almost exclusively on forklifts will need to be equipped with ESD flooring to support new technology.

These warehouse applications, along with those in data centers and many manufacturing facilities, are best served by covering the floor with an epoxy coating mixed with a conductive additive such as carbon black, tin oxide or carbon nanotubes. The additives create a conductive network that transfers charge to copper strips mounted beneath the floor, effectively dissipating static electricity generated by humans and mobile robotics.

With an epoxy-based flooring, floor aesthetics and performance are difficult to determine until after the floor is installed and has fully cured, making the mixing and installation processes critical to the success of any project. Too little conductive additive within the coating and the floor will not be conductive enough to dissipate charge; too much and the floor becomes so conductive it can introduce a shock hazard.

In addition, at the loading rates required to achieve high levels of conductivity, some flooring additives are more likely to aggregate in certain areas of the floor, creating hot spots that break the conductive network and make the entire floor ineffective. High loading rates of inherently dark additive can also negatively impact floor aesthetics, making it harder to achieve the desired color and finish.

While building operators may reluctantly live with subpar aesthetics, they cannot live with hot spots, which are a common problem for ESD control flooring manufacturers and installers. Even expert installers have fallen victim to hot spots forming post-installation, indicating they are not always the result of improper installation. Manufacturers and installers may then disagree on liability, delaying resolution and frustrating all involved.

Addressing the challenge of hot spots within the framework of compliance is one of the most important issues the ESD flooring industry faces as it seeks to capitalize on the demand resulting from increased penetration of electronics in the workplace.

While there are a number of standards that can apply to ESD control flooring, depending on the application, by far the most commonly used is ANSI/ESD S20.20. This standard was last revised in 2014 at which time significant updates were made, most notably to the qualification method.

Prior to 2014, the standard allowed for qualification based only on resistance. If the total resistance was less than 3.5 x 10^7ohms from a persons hand to ground, the floor was in compliance. A walking voltage test was required only when resistance was greater than 3.5x 10^7ohms and less than 1.0 x 10^9ohms.

In the 2014 revision, the resistance method of qualification was eliminated and a walking voltage test was required for qualification, regardless of floor resistance. Specifically, the standard covers:

The requirements necessary to design, establish, implement and maintain an Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Control Program forelectrical or electronic parts, assemblies and equipment susceptible to damage by electrostatic discharges greater than or equal to 100 volts Human Body Model (HBM).

As a result of this revision, the focus for compliance shifted from achieving specific resistance levels or thresholds to the ability of the floor to prevent the build-up of charge of 100 volts as determined by a walking voltage test.

However, one issue that was not addressed in the 2014 revision was the distinction between static dissipative and static conductive flooring that was included within the standard. Conductive flooring is generally defined as having resistance below 10^6 ohms, while dissipative flooring is defined as having resistance above 10^6 and below 10^9 ohms.

This was meaningful when compliance was based on floor resistance because flooring that is too conductive can subject workers to shock hazards. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association, prior to the development of ANSI/ESD S20.20, created a standard to prevent injury to workers in ESD flooring applications, a standard which is still referenced today.

That standard required an ESD control flooring system to not be more than 25,000 ohms when tested at 500 volts. Newer testing apparatuses test at 100 volts rather than 500 volts, so that translates into a ceiling of 100,000 (10^5) ohms, the same as is included in the current version of the S20.20 standard. Since the qualification is now based on a walking voltage test, the distinction between dissipative and conductive is irrelevant.

However, that distinction spawned a convenient threshold for specifiers. Wanting to stay on the low end of the dissipative range, many specifiers adopted one megaohm (10^6 ohms) as their guiding specification for ESD control flooring. If they could achieve a resistance level of 10^6 ohms across the floor, they could safely avoid the need for a walking voltage test under the previous version of the standard. Yet, even though the need for a walking voltage test is no longer dependent on floor resistance, the one megaohm threshold has become so well established that specifiers continue to use it today despite the fact it is not directly relevant to compliance.

The EOS/ESD Association, which maintains the S20.20 standard, is currently reviewing the standard with an eye toward addressing the confusion that has been created by maintaining the distinction between conductive and dissipative.

According to David Swenson, president of Affinity Static Consulting and a director of the EOS/ESD Association:

In the 2014 revision, the committee clarified that the requirements for the flooring and footwear system be less than 10^9 ohms with no lower limit. However, the current standards maintain the distinction between dissipative and conductive, which is not relevant in this application, and that may be contributing to confusion among specifiers. This distinction will likely be eliminated in the next revisions of the applicable standardsanything under 10^9 will be considered conductiveto further address this issue. The most important characteristic is the resistance-to-ground of the person standing on the floor and their walking voltage.

As Swenson makes clear, the distinction between dissipative and conductive, while still in the standard, is irrelevant in light of the other changes made in 2014. Yet, continued reliance on one megaohm as a threshold by specifiers is introducing unnecessary complications into compliance with the standard.

One megaohm is problematic as an absolute threshold because it is at the high end of the effective range of conductivity. Because resistance is logarithmic rather than linear, it is extremely difficult to hit a precise target when mixing ESD control flooring.

In addition, temperature and humidity variations across the floor, along with uneven dispersion of some conductive materials used in ESD control flooring, create variations in resistance measurements. When resistance of 10^6 ohms is set as an absolute threshold, its likely actual overall floor resistance will be closer to 10^5 ohmsintroducing higher risk of shock hazard and hot spots.

The impact of one megaohm as a target has even evolved beyond its use as an absolute threshold and contributed to the misconception by some that resistance should be driven as low as possible. Some specifiers now operate on the assumption that if 10^6 ohms is good, 10^5 ohms must be even better. Of course, this is not the case; yet, manufacturers and installers continue to have to educate their customers that a threshold of 10^5 ohms does not enhance protection of equipment and increases the likelihood the floor will accumulate charge, which can present risks to workers.

Rather than seeking to achieve the highest possible conductivity level, OEMs, architects and building owners should be looking to reduce conductivity levels to the point where they can safely and consistently meet the S20.20 requirement of not discharging 100 volts. That level is usually below one megaohm.

This has the added benefit of reducing the amount of additive required in the flooring compound, which reduces the impact of the additive on floor aesthetics and the likelihood of hot spots. However, with additives such as carbon black, relatively high loading rates are still required to achieve resistance levels below 10^9, and the risk of hot spots, while reduced, still exists.

That risk is being addressed through a new generation of conductive additives now being introduced into ESD control flooring. The reason traditional additives require high loading rates is the length of the fibers that compose the additive. Creating a cohesive conductive network requires a relatively dense distribution of fibers across the floor and achieving that level of density requires loading rates as high as 20%. That density is what can lead to hot spots.

New materials such as single-wall carbon nanotubes have a higher length-to-diameter ratio than any materials. Carbon nanotubes have a length-to-diameter ratio that can be as high as high as 132,000,000:1, allowing them, when added to the epoxy coating in a pre-dispersed matrix, to create an effective conductive network that is virtually impervious to hot spots at loading rates as low as 0.1%.

In addition, control over color and finish is not compromised in the way it is with other additives. Not only can manufacturers provide architects and specifiers with greater control over color when coatings dont have high percentages of inherently dark additives, but installers can more easily achieve the desired smooth finish and avoid what is commonly referred to as the orange peel effect.

While the expected changes to the S20.20 standard may help reduce the confusion caused by the current distinction between conductive and dissipative resistance that has led to the one megaohm specification, the convenience of a simple threshold for floor resistance may remain attractive to specifiers.

However, specifiers should also be aware that there are costs associated with this convenience. The ESD flooring industry can only address the challenge of hot spots and their costs to manufacturers, installers and building owners by better understanding the conductivity levels required to safely comply with S20.20 resistance-to-ground values and migrating to newer materials that can achieve compliance without the risk of hot spots.

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Rethinking the Role of Thresholds in Achieving ESD Compliance When Using Epoxy-Based Coatings - In Compliance

Airbus has begun developing a modification for A330 and A350 family widebodies designed to allowairlines to install freight pallets directly onto the cabin floor seat tracks, after removal of the economy-class seats, the company said Thursday.

Meant to alleviate the global shortage of belly-freight air cargo capacity due to the widespread grounding of long-haul aircraft during the Covid-19 pandemic, the development will also help the industry address the high demand for humanitarian flights to rapidly transport large quantities of medical equipment and other supplies over large distances.

The Airbus modification facilitates easier and quicker loading and unloading operations compared with loading cargo onto seats, as well as reduced wear to the seats themselves, the company said. Other benefits include robust fire protection and 9g load restraint capability to prevent anything from shifting in flight.

Airbus plans to make the modification available as a service bulletin, meaning the manufacturer defines the needed engineeringworkand manages the process for obtaining the one-time certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The programs scope includes the removal of the seats and in-flight entertainment systems, installation of cargo pallets and associated safety equipment, and the re-installation of the original passenger cabin elements for reverting back to passenger operations.

Read more:
Airbus to Offer Freight Mod for A330, A350 Cabins - Aviation International News

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Stone Plastic Composite (SPC) Flooring Market Expand Their Businesses With New Investments In 2020 And Returning Future - Latest Herald

Dish Network, like its chief competitor DirecTV and other legacy cable TV providers, has witnessed a mass exodus of subscribers due to the inexorable rise of online streaming services like Netflix, Disney Plus and Hulu.

In its most recent earnings report, the companys pay-TV business, which includes its satellite TV offering and Sling TV, shed 194,000 subscribers. The one silver lining was that this figure was fewer than the 334,000 subscribers it lost a year earlier.

The most troubling trend for Dish is that it lost 94,000 subscribers in its Sling TV streaming service, compared to an addition of 47,000 subscribers during the same period last year. It was the first time its OTT service lost subscribers since launching in 2015.

The downward trend is obvious, but what are the reasons behind these customers leaving Dish in droves? Here are five of them.

First off, Dishs customer service has been determined to be pretty shoddy by many people. Consumer Affairs has registered over 5,000 complaints about the satellite TV companys various mishandlings, from long waits on phones to outright rude behavior.

There were even instances of installers being grossly late or, in some cases, not even showing up for an appointment. Moreover, some customers had to endure the humiliating demands that they had to personally replace defective equipment.

Another reason thats driving away customers is Dishs long contracts. Many of the contracts are indeed for two years, so if you happen to move during that time or maybe lose your job, youre really out of luck. Early termination of your agreement means that you have to pay up $20 for each month remaining. Definitely a hard pill to swallow for many.

No. 3 on the list is Dishs deceptive pricing. Many customers have complained that when theyre offered promotions or discounts, Dish makes them sign up for the aforementioned two-year contract, but it does not disclose the important fact that these bargain rates will only be honored for the first 12 months. So, when month 13 rolls around, many customers have had their jaws drop to the floor.

Next up is the installation of equipment. OK, in this day and age, physically installing a satellite dish on top of your roof should have gone the way of the rotary dial phone. But if you do sign up for Dishs satellite service, this is something that you cant avoid and you will likely see a technician come to your home at some point to install it. This is a hassle that people just dont want to deal with, especially when you can just turn on your smart TV and stream your favorite content without jumping through hoops.

The final reason goes something like this: Bottom of the ninth inning, two outs, full count, the winning run is on third, here comes the pitch. Then, nothing. Thats one of the most annoying things about Dish as a satellite TV provider, because bad weather can in fact cause outages.

Yes, in many cases, the disruptions will last for only a short period, but it isnt uncommon to have your service go out for an hour or two. In short, when you cant prove that youre reliable, its hard to expect loyalty from your customers.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek and Arirang TV. He currently resides in Minneapolis.

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Shady Pricing and More: 5 Reason People Keep Dumping Dish Network - The National Interest

The open office has taken over modern business. While controversial, these large, open spacespunctuated by conference rooms and phone boothsare the design of the day, and their proponents claim they increase collaboration. But open offices are also a communal petri dish. In the age of COVID-19, theyre the antithesis of social distancing.

Open offices will need to change for us to go back to work, but how drastically? We talked to Todd Heiser, a co-managing director at the worlds largest architecture firm Gensler, and Primo Orpilla, cofounder at the interior design company Studio O+A, which has designed open office headquarters for companies such as McDonalds. Both have already been working with companies to adjust floor plans and practices in anticipation of bringing employees back to work. Here are the trends they see coming.

One truth about the open office is that it has gotten a bit less open over time, simply because weve started packing a whole lot more people in. Thats a problem when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is suggesting at least 6 feet of space between people.

According to Orpilla, the prototypical open office should be designed to allow people to meander through the space and find their own nook or cranny to settle down in, without bumping elbows with a coworker.

Anytime you look at a well-designed open plan, theres only about 30% of people sitting at the desk. The rest are using other parts of the office space, thereby exercising social distancing on demand in their own way, says Orpilla. That being said, the target has been painted. Over the last five years, theres been a push for the open plan model to densify. Thats where youre seeing the problems. Some places were designed without the additional open areas, meeting spaces, or the right ratio of meeting spaces to headcount. They were not well thought-out.

Already, weve seen companies in China mitigate their density by moving employees to staggered-shift work. Meanwhile, Facebook has announced that people will return to the office in waves. Other companies will likely take the same approach.

In the beginning, maybe 20% of people will go back to work, says Heiser. Perhaps late summer next year we could see those densities grow. Gensler has also been developing a tool for clients, which takes existing floor plans, and algorithmically suggests safer seating layouts. That might sound a bit over the top, using AI just to spread people a minimum distance apart, but several of their clients are working with over a million feet of office space. Some automation will be necessary.

If youve visited an open office in the past few years, youve probably been greeted by someone sitting at a desk. They point you to the coffeeeither K-cups or brewed thermosesand you help yourself before poking around a basket of fruit, then take a seat.

This is to make visitors feel comfortable without a lot of staff oversight. But comfort going forward will be about perceived safety, which is why self-serve coffee may not come back as designers reimagine office entries to deal with visitors and staff who need to decontaminate before entering a shared space.

Weve been thinking, whats the new paradigm? Maybe its a mud room, says Heiser. You come in, change your shoes, wash your hands. Will sinks become primary in entries instead of self-service coffee?

Many offices have such spaces, full of lockers, bike storage, and even showers. But these have been facing side doors and rear entrances. Now, these spaces might face everyone who visits an office. They might even be a place to run health screenings for anyone who comes into the building. If we let someone in the building, [they might] infect people, says Orpilla. So we have to have better checkpoints to screen employees and visitors. Were going to have to take your temperature [at the door].

Heres a twist: Plexiglass is sold out from many suppliers. Why is that? Because architects and interior designers are securing the transparent material to build clear barriers between people.

I know theres a big run on it, says Orpilla of Plexiglass. Essentially, were creating gigantic sneeze guards. When you think of it, its like a sneeze guard at a salad bar. There are better materials that are more antimicrobial. . .but everyone goes to the clear plastic because the perception is, I have this barrier around me.

Orpilla says you should expect to see Plexiglass, and other dividers, rise up, creating walls around desks. One of my clients said the other day, I shouldnt have gotten rid of all those 65-inch-tall panels, says Orpilla. Whether its safe or not, people feel safe with a barrier around them.

At the same time, architects are considering airflow and HVAC systems in new ways. In China, buildings have already been designed with more fresh air flow and air filtration than what we have in the United States. Every expert Ive spoken to, from air flow researchers to architects, agrees that offices across the United States will begin to upgrade their HVAC systems. But not all solutions will be part of the centralized heating and cooling systemat least not at first. Offices will likely install portable air purifiers as a stop gap. Employees may likely bring in their own, too.

Orpilla is experimenting with installing giant exhaust fans, like you see over the smoky grills at Korean restaurants, in Studio O+As own office space, for places where small groups of people might meet but still want fresh air. Yet ironically, while cubicles are coming back to seal individual employees inside, shared spaces like small and medium conference rooms may actually be opened up to the rest of the office, to let these rooms breathe.

Weve been thinking of it as an officle. Not quite an office. Not quite a cubicle, says Heiser. Such a room would only have three walls, with one open to allow airflow. It provides privacy and focus work minus a door, he says.

Mass gatherings are canceled across much of the world, which means no big weddingsand also, maybe no work lunch. Even properly proportioned open offices are often built with cafeterias, which are designed to operate with at high capacity to feed most or all employees meals within a very tight window of time. Expect a lot of desk lunches and outdoor eating instead.

But if everyone doesnt gather in the cafeteria for lunch, what do you do with that space? That answer is pretty simple: It opens up to more people working through the day, allowing everyone to distance more.

Heiser suggests that another way to avoid big groups inside is simply to move them outside. This strategy doesnt work so well in dense urban cities, he admits, but in temperate climates like the Bay Area where corporations are set up on large campuses, theres a lot of potential to just move people outdoors.

For the most part, assuming buildings cut down on headcount and vastly improve their HVAC systems, it seems feasible to enable some social distancing at scale inside an office.

But there are two lingering bottlenecks: elevators and hallways.

High-rises present a particularly tricky situation for socially distanced offices. Thats because thousands of people will come to work in a short time frame, who are actually going to several different offices that may not be coordinating shifts with one another. You have to get all the people up the elevators or stairwells, says Orpilla, who notes that some elevators are too small to allow more than one person to ride them in a socially distant way. Were seriously looking at ways you can put dividers up in elevators with plastic screens, so you can go to four corners in the elevator.

Hallways are a similarly tricky proposition. Most buildings didnt build very wide aisles, so you cant maintain 6 feet, says Orpilla.

As a result, many designers are looking to instruct employees to actually circulate in one direction through a space, treating hallways as one-way streets rather than two-way streets.

Ultimately, many of the above ideas will be tested in the field, and soon. Companies have already started planning COVID-19-responsive conversions to office spaces, as states like California detail their plans to reopen. Some of these ideas will work while others wont. But its important to note that these plans are all based upon the relatively vague advice of hygiene and social distancing provided by WHO and the CDC. Both Heiser and Orpilla expect that standards will quickly change as scientists and health officials learn more about COVID-19 and update best practices. That change may happen on a month-to-month basis, Heiser says. And companies will need to continually adapt their workplace to keep up.

More:
Here's how COVID-19 will change your open office - Fast Company

The vote would have been the Houses first formal session since the pandemic upended daily life last month and after some Democrats had prodded legislative leaders to move more quickly in finding ways to allow formal lawmaking to resume.

But the GOP leader, Representative Bradley H. Jones, on Wednesday used a procedural move to block its passage during an informal session, in which any dissent stops a bill from passing. It came moments after House Democrats denied an amendment he filed that would have lifted the rules once Bakers borrowing bill passed. The current draft of the rules keeps them in place as late as January.

Jones, a North Reading Republican, said hes open to discussions but is primarily concerned with a rule that effectively limits how often most representatives can be recognized to speak. Its a move, he said, that promises to cut off crucial rebuttals amid debate. Another provision mandates that lawmakers who want to speak on any bill notify House leaders by 10 a.m. the day of the vote.

Im perfectly OK with remote voting," Jones said. But I dont think in order to achieve remote voting that you need to sacrifice many of the principles that are hallmarks of our democracy.

The order is about power, he added of Democratic leaders. Its an example of lets use this crisis to achieve more power.

Less than 20 minutes after Wednesdays session ended, House Speaker Robert DeLeo released a sharp statement accusing House Republicans of trying to enhance their own very limited power by using a "partisan political move . . . at the expense of the taxpayer and the safety of the public.

By blocking the rules, he said, the House cant approve the time-sensitive and critical borrowing legislation, which requires a formal roll call vote to advance.

The Republican action could imperil the states cash flow, require cuts to services for vulnerable populations during a public health crisis, and harm the states bond rating, which will only add to the future cost of borrowing, DeLeo said, saying Joness amendment forced us to call lawmakers into the chamber and put at risk House Members, staff, and the public at large.

This is an unparalleled example of both recklessness and fiscal irresponsibility, DeLeo said.

Democrats hold a super majority in the House, leaving the chambers 31-member GOP caucus and Jones, the minority leader since 2003, with little sway beyond forcing recorded roll call votes or debate on legislation.

It made Wednesdays move, and the fiery public response from DeLeo, all the more remarkable.

The speakers statement was as inflammatory as Ive seen out of his office, Jones said, calling it "completely counterproductive and demonstrably false.

DeLeo said Jones was briefed extensively on the rules changes and incorporated some of the House Republicans recommendations into an amended order released Tuesday. That included backtracking from a controversial provision that would have made it more difficult for representatives to force a roll call vote.

The original proposal would have required 25 percent of the House to agree to holding a roll call during remote voting a bar that would make it impossible for the Republican caucus to insist on a recorded vote. House leaders ultimately let the language revert back to the Houses current rule, which requires 10 percent.

The change appeared to appease both House Democrats as well as progressive groups that, like Republicans, said the original language could stifle debate.

The Houses 11-page rules proposal followed weeks of discussion about how representatives could restart formal voting amid the pandemic, which has closed the State House to the public and left legislators to rely on informal, debate-less sessions to pass bills.

Lawmakers in at least 14 other states have already changed their procedures to allow for remote participation or voting since March, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The House plan calls for a small number of representatives to remain in the chamber for a vote and the vast majority of lawmakers to follow along through a public live stream, using conference call lines to dial in and cast their votes. Designated monitors in the chamber would then collect and submit the votes to the House clerk.

Representative Kate Hogan, a Stow Democrat who also sits on the working group that drafted the rules, acknowledged the challenges lawmakers faced in trying to move voting to conference calls.

Its going to be more limited. Theres no way we can replicate a live and in-person floor debate, Hogan said. "We are trying to put these together thoughtfully. Were hoping this isnt going to be forever.

For weeks, lawmakers have relied on back-channel negotiations and informal sessions to continue moving legislation to Bakers desk, including bills that waived the states MCAS requirement and undid a weeklong waiting period for unemployment benefits in response to the health crisis. Last week, lawmakers passed a bill that allows for notaries public to remotely perform work central to estate planning, mortgages, and more.

Matt Stout can be reached at matt.stout@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mattpstout

Original post:
Mass. Houses attempt to install remote voting hits GOP roadblock - The Boston Globe

Being apet owner definitely has its ups and downs!

I adopted my dog Tater Tot almost one month ago, and he's a real character. He's a pug and Jack Russell Terrier mix and will be turning 4-years-old in June.

Last night I decided to pick Tater up new food and water bowls. I found some nice stainless steel ones that came with a cute holder. Well, I found out this morning that Tater doesn't like them as much as I do. He was TERRIFIED of the bowls. He barely ate any of his breakfast, so I ended up dumping the rest of his food on the floor. I don't think he's a big fan of the sound the metal makes when it bumps into the holder!

Is your pet afraid of something really random? We asked listeners on Facebook and some of the answers were hilariously ridiculous:

Is your pet afraid of something strange? Let us know in the comments below!

See the original post:
The Random Things Our Pets are Afraid Of - khak.com