Erin Eagles says she doesn't miss the drive to her Saint John office and sees no rush to give up working from home.

After weeks of practice, she has figured out the best place to video conference with clients is a tidy corner of the basement playroom.

There, the lighting is fine and her family won't come looking for a snack.

However, she says, her eight-year-old can be a distraction.

"There's a constant little pull," said Eagles, a financial adviser with Sun Life.

"Mostly from my daughter because if she knows I'm here, she wants my attention."

People who make a living off commercial real estate, and those who study that market,are waiting to see what workers like Eagles will choose to do next.

She's one of thousands of New Brunswickers who have learned to work from home because of COVID-19.

She's had enough time to master the transition. She's seen the good and the bad.

Some predict the good will win out and that many will decide to abandon their commute at the expense of New Brunswick's downtowns.

Business development analyst Ben Champoux saidyou'll see a change in Moncton.

Normally, he said, some 20,000 people from nearby communities such as Riverview, Dieppe, Shediac and Bouctouche, drive into the city for their jobs.

Those 20,000 workers are the reason why the downtown bars and restaurants thrive.

But in the past two or three months, Champoux said, most of those people have had to stay home and some, who managed to work there, have discovered they like it.

"This is very anecdotal, but I talk to friends on a regular basis and they're all telling me that they're as efficient as they used to be.

"Frankly, they're even more productive because they don't have to spend so much time in a car every morning and night. They don't have to take an hour to find a restaurant and eat. They can eat very quickly at home.

"And now they're seriously wondering, 'Do I really need to be physically back downtown and driving half an hour in the morning and half an hour at night, or could I spend it with my spouse and my kids?'"

Champoux saidit's not a question of whether people will choose to stay home, but a question of how many.

Across the province, some big employers said they're taking a slow and cautious approach getting people back to work.

Assumption Life said 98 per cent of its downtown Moncton workforce was able to do their jobs from home by the end of the week of March 16.

The company said it was a seamless transition that took less than 48 hours to execute.

"This current situation is showing us that working from home could be an option, depending on the role and responsibilities of each employee," wrote Thomas Raffy, director of communications.

Raffy said the company is working with the building's management company to come up with a multi-stage plan to get workers back into the tower.

That plan, he said, will also consider the daily feedback from employees on "how they're doing at home, how they're balancing their work and their personal lives, and how they perceive their return to work."

J.D. Irving Ltd. said thatacross its operations in Canada and the U.S., it had 2,800 employees working from home while its mills and offices were being reconfigured to reduce the risk of COVID-19.

Those preparations included the production of some 30,000 signs to guide people on where to sit and stand to maintain physical distance.

The company said nearly 3,000 face masks were provided to workers in the mills.

Bathrooms had to be changed and workstations have all been equipped with disinfectant wipes and sanitizer.

"The whole time, on the forest products side, from Lake Utopia to Irving Tissue in Moncton, not a single case of COVID, not a single layoff," said Mary Keith, vice-president of communications.

Now the company has mapped out its plan to bring them back.

"It's almost harder than sending them home," Keith said.

At 300 Union St., workers have started to reoccupy the 12-storey building, one floor at a time.

Much like Moncton, Saint John has been missing its commuters as many as 16,000 per day.

Full occupancy of the JDI headquarters puts 800 people in the city centre.

Jeff Yerxa has 90,000 square feet of office space soon to open in Fredericton's downtown and he said he's not worried he'll find takers for the third of the building that isn't yet leased.

He's the president and CEO Of Ross Ventures and once pitched his proposal for 140 Carleton as "Fredericton's sexiest building."

"It looks largely finished on the outside but the inside is still under a fair amount of construction," said Yerxa, who declined to say who is moving in.

"We don't anticipate the first tenants taking occupancy there until late summer, possibly early fall."

Yerxa said he's watching the impactof COVID-19 on workers, and he thinks their reaction to working from home is mixed.

"There's people who went home to work and loved working from home and there's people who went home to work and hated working from home.

"Then there's the other side of the equation, which is the employers. So there's employers who sent their staff home and found some of them very productive, possibly more productive working from home. And of course, the opposite is true, too.

"I don't think the need for office space is going to disappear."

Alexandra Allen thinks demand won't disappear, but she wouldn't be surprised to see it quickly soften.

As senior manager of the economic intelligence unit for Turner, Drake and Partners, she leads the team that runs the company's semi-annual survey on more than 38 million square feet of office and industrial space across Atlantic Canada.

She saidrecession drives change. Employers go looking for savings by reducing their footprints.

In the 90s, she says private offices were swapped out for cubicles.

Then the 2008 downturn drove the trend toward open and collaborative spaces, also known as "bullpens."

Allen said the post COVID recession will give some employers no choice. They'll have to keep their workers at home so they can save on rent.

"It will be a survival mechanism," she said.

She said tenants can't rush for the exits because they often sign multi-year leases.

However, early indicators of a weaker market would show up as added incentives offered by the landlords, such as cash inducements to get tenants to move in, Allen said.

"Then as vacancy creeps up, the next thing is that rental rates will have downward pressure on them. First, you'll see stagnation, then actual downward shifts."

Allen said she'll be looking for early downturn indicators in the next survey results due out in July.

Continued here:
Back to the office: Now, later ... never - CBC.ca

Post Covid-19 the per capita office space allocations is likely to increase despite a segment of employees are to work from home.

In office real estate, social distancing norms may increase the per capita office space allocations. During the last decade, per capita office space allocation reduced from 100-125 sq ft to 75-100 sq ft in the pre-Covid-19 period of January 2020, revealed Anarock in its report India Real Estate: A Different World Post Covid-19.

The report added, Safety and hygiene will become the top priority, even as contactless operations and automation will increase. Decentralisation of operations to ensure business continuity will be a trend reversal from prominent consolidations over the past few years.

Flexible workspaces is expected to re-evaluate its models. IT and BPM will continue demand levels. Despite the lockdown and subsequent easing of restrictions, IT-BPM sector is anticipated to continue driving demand for office space, said consulting firm KPMG in its report called Covid-19: React, adapt and recover The new reality: A perspective on the Indian real estate sector.

The report stated: Despite steady leasing in flexible workspaces across major Indian cities the segment will face major headwinds over the next 9-12 months period.

Post lockdown the sector should resume operations by leveraging technology innovations for enabling employee and consumer health safety standards, design flexibility (Work from Home), cost optimisation and consumer engagement (such as AI, VR, BIM, etc), focussed localisation of supply chains, re-organisation of business models, which is likely to revive activity, accelerating Indian real estates turnaround over the coming 1218 months, said Chintan Patel, Partner and Leader Building, Construction and Real Estate, KPMG.

On the retail reality front, Anarocks report said, In retail, online businesses will gain momentum - e-commerce giants have already added over 5,000 people to their delivery fleet during the lockdown period. Their consumer base expanded to senior citizens who have embraced technology in the Covid-19 era.

Mall revival will come with caveats. With hygiene and sanitation taking centre stage, malls which can offer these will benefit most in times to come, it added.

Retail real estate recovery expected despite uphill challenges, said KPMG, and added: Indias consumption expenditure stood at $1.92 trillion in 2018 growing at a CAGR of 7 per cent for the last nine years. Post lockdown, consumer discretionary spending is likely to remain subdued. In medium-term potential impact partial lockdown leasing: 50-60 per cent contraction in mall footfalls expected from pre-Covid-19 levels coupled with a significant down-tick in overall trading density.

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In these difficult times, we, at BusinessLine have been working continuously every day so that you are informed about all the developments whether on the pandemic, on policy responses, or the impact on the world of business and finance. Our team has been working round the clock to keep track of developments so that you the reader gets accurate information and actionable insights so that you can protect your jobs, businesses, finances and investments.

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Post pandemic: Per capita office space allocations may increase to adhere with social distancing norms - BusinessLine

1.Apple is building a 192-room hotel on its billion-dollar Austin Campus (BD+C)"The hotel will give Apple more control over all aspects of where visitors to the Austin campus will stay."

2.Is CLT really a green solution? (BD+C)"CLT is intended to replace concrete and steel whose production accounts for about 13% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Wood in CLT panels pulled CO2 from the atmosphere, and that carbon should remain locked up as long as the building stands."

3.Will Remote Working Spell the Demise of the Office Sector? (National Real Estate Investor)"While some tech and banking firms are considering major shifts to permanent work-from-home policies, offices will still be around."

4.Biggest U.S. Mall Is Two Months Delinquent on $1.4 Billion Loan (Bloomberg, National Real Estate Investor)"The Mall of America missed two months of payments on a $1.4 billion CMBS loan."

5.Mechanics liens up 40% as COVID-19 pandemic disrupts industry (Construction Dive)"U.S. mechanics lien filings have risen significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all but the most essential projects in many states, according to notice and lien service provider Levelset. The number of liens filed through March 2020 jumped 40% since January."

6.ULI Forecasts Strong CRE Growth to Return in 2022 (Commercial Property Executive)"Despite numerous uncertainties, economic and real estate recovery should begin in the second half of 2020, followed by stronger growth in 2021 and significant growth in 2022, according to the Urban Land Institutes semi-annual Real Estate Economic Forecast.The three-year 'consensus'forecast measures 27 economic and real estate factors and represents the average of forecasts from 39 economists/analysts at 35 real estate organizations. The 17th semi-annual forecast was based on responses collected from May 1 to May 18."

Go here to read the rest:
6 must reads for the AEC industry today: May 26, 2020 - Building Design + Construction

Trusted Business Insights answers what are the scenarios for growth and recovery and whether there will be any lasting structural impact from the unfolding crisis for the India Wood And Laminate Flooring market.

Trusted Business Insights presents an updated and Latest Study on India Wood And Laminate Flooring Market 2019-2026. The report contains market predictions related to market size, revenue, production, CAGR, Consumption, gross margin, price, and other substantial factors. While emphasizing the key driving and restraining forces for this market, the report also offers a complete study of the future trends and developments of the market.The report further elaborates on the micro and macroeconomic aspects including the socio-political landscape that is anticipated to shape the demand of the India Wood And Laminate Flooring market during the forecast period (2019-2029).It also examines the role of the leading market players involved in the industry including their corporate overview, financial summary, and SWOT analysis.

Get Sample Copy of this Report @ India Wood And Laminate Flooring Market Size, Market Research and Industry Forecast Report, 2027 (Includes Business Impact of COVID-19)

Industry Insights, Market Size, CAGR, High-Level Analysis: India Wood And Laminate Flooring Market

The India wood and laminate flooring market size was estimated at USD 2.80 billion in 2019 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.4% in terms of revenue, from 2020 to 2027. The introduction of engineered wood and laminates floors emerging as cost-effective alternatives to hardwood flooring is anticipated to fuel the growth. Superior durability and ease of maintenance are the key factors expected to propel the adoption of wood and laminate floorings in the country. Advancements in designing and printing technologies have facilitated the enhancements in aesthetic and textures of the products, creating growth opportunities for the market.Ease of installation and requirement of less-skilled labor of wood and laminate flooring as compared to conventional flooring materials such as ceramic tiles and stone tiles is expected to positively influence the growth. Moreover, it is also emerging as one of the most preferred DIY flooring materials in the country.

Natural timber species, such as teak, maple, oak, rosewood, walnut, and bamboo are use for producing wood and laminate flooring, thereby offering a high degree of versatility. These floorings are stain-resistant and require less amount of routine maintenance, thereby increasing the utility in commercial applications, especially in the hospitality sector.Factors, such as rising population and rapid growth of urbanization have propelled construction activities for corporate offices, retail spaces, educational facilities, government buildings, hotels, lodging spaces, medical and healthcare units, industrial spaces, and commercial utilities. This, in turn, is expected to positively influence the demand for wood and laminate and flooring.High penetration of ceramic tiles in the Indian market is expected to emerge as one of the major challenges to the demand for wood and laminates flooring. In addition, presence of tropical temperatures in the larger part of the country is expected to restrict the product penetration.

Product Insights of India Wood And Laminate Flooring Market

Wood flooring segment is expected to attain a higher share as compared to laminate floorings and is likely to expand at a CAGR of 6.6% in terms of revenue, over the forecast period. Products such as engineered, deck, and solid wood floorings are increasingly used in residential and commercial structures to enhance the aesthetics.Premium feel and aesthetics offered by the product are the major factors driving the demand. Engineering hardwood floorings are rapidly gaining popularity owing to ease of design customization, and low price as compared to solid wood floorings, thereby positively influencing the overall grwoth of the India wood and laminate flooring market.Laminate floorings segment is expected to witness a revenue-based CAGR of 5.4% over the forecast period, as the product is emerging as one of the low-cost alternatives to wood without compromising the aesthetics. In addition, recent advancements in printing technologies have facilitated the manufacturers to expand their design catalog thereby offering more design options to the customers.

Application Insights of India Wood And Laminate Flooring Market

In 2019, residential application accounted for the largest market share in 2019 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 4.3% over the forecast period. The evolving concept of home decor in the country, backed by the rising discretionary income is positively influencing the overall market growth. India is also witnessing a notable rise in the construction of multi-family residential homes, such as residential buildings clusters and residential complexes, which in turn is expected to positively influence the demand for wood and laminate floorings. In addition, rising demand for a premium apartment in metropolitan areas is expected to drive the growth.

The commercial application segment is anticipated to register a notable CAGR of 6.3% over the forecast period, especially in the hospitality sector. Increasing construction activities of luxurious hotels in the country by multinational hotel chains is expected to positively influence the product demand. In recent years, the wood and laminate floorings have witnessed a surge in office building structures to provide versatility in convenient fittings for working environments. In addition, laminates offer natural graphics and custom designs produced to match the interior designs of the offices buildings.India Wood & Laminate Flooring Market Share InsightsVendors have been relying on partnerships with local distributors to expand their distribution capacities and to gain logistics support. Multinational companies from U.S. and Europe are enterning into partnerships with the local floor covering manufacturers and distributors to get a hold in the potential Indian market. Key participants with significant market share include Accord Floors, Armstrong World Industries, Avant, BVG, EGO Flooring, Eurotex, Greenlam Industries, Notion, Parkay Floors, Pergo, Quick-Step, Red Floor India, Surfaces India, Westwood, and WoodFloorsIndia.

Segmentations, Sub Segmentations, CAGR, & High-Level Analysis overview of India Wood And Laminate Flooring Market Research ReportThis report forecasts revenue growth at country level and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2019 to 2030. For the purpose of this study, this market research report has segmented the India wood and laminate flooring market report on the basis of product, and application:

Product Outlook (Volume, Million Sq. Meters; Revenue, USD Million, 2019 2030)

Wood Flooring

Laminate Flooring

Application Outlook (Volume, Million Sq. Meters; Revenue, USD Million, 2019 2030)

Residential

Commercial

Industrial

Quick Read Table of Contents of this Report @ India Wood And Laminate Flooring Market Size, Market Research and Industry Forecast Report, 2027 (Includes Business Impact of COVID-19)

Trusted Business InsightsShelly ArnoldMedia & Marketing ExecutiveEmail Me For Any ClarificationsConnect on LinkedInClick to follow Trusted Business Insights LinkedIn for Market Data and Updates.US: +1 646 568 9797UK: +44 330 808 0580

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India Wood And Laminate Flooring Market Break Down By Leading Companies, Countries, Applications, Challenges, Opportunities And Forecast 2020-2026 -...

As an intern for The Boldt Company, Fox Valley Technical College student Dylan Casey helped build temporary care centers to support emergency room overflow due to COVID-19 for Aurora Health Care in Green Bay, Marinette, Oshkosh and Two Rivers.(Photo: Courtesy of Fox Valley Technical College)

GRAND CHUTE - Whatever profession he chose to pursue, Dylan Casey has always wanted to feel like he's making a difference.

That's why the 20-year-old Portage native landed on construction, an industry that's vital to maintaining infrastructure, building communities, as well as ensuring allbuildings hospitals, office buildings, whatever else are safe and up-to-date.

In his second semester as a student of Fox Valley Technical College's construction management technology program, Casey is already well on his way to making the difference he'd dreamed of. Just not in the way he imagined.

About three months into his gig as a field engineer intern for The Boldt Company, the coronavrius pandemic hit, shutting down businesses and schools including his own FVTC across Wisconsin and the nation.

Dylan Casey, 20, studies construction management technology at Fox Valley Technical College.(Photo: Courtesy of FVTC)

Instead of hunkering down at home, Casey found himself among those considered "essential workers" and helped build temporary care centers to support emergency room overflow for Aurora Health Care locations in Green Bay, Marinette, Oshkosh andTwo Rivers.

Though the internship is now over economic fallout from COVID-19 caused it to be rescinded early last month Casey is grateful for the learning experience.

"The impact that construction makes is kind of the reason I'm in it," Casey said. "It's something I'm passionate about, so this is a story that will be engraved in my memory for a long time. It was just unreal to be part of this."

While Casey was previously focusedon juggling school with Boldt projects at Kimberly Clark and the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, frommid-March onward, his focus shifted to serving as a key liaison between construction workers and vendors in acquiring supplies for two main projects: Constructing drive-thru testing facilities and overflow tents used to treat patients.

As an intern for The Boldt Company, Fox Valley Technical College student Dylan Casey helped build temporary care centers to support emergency room overflow due to COVID-19 for Aurora Health Care in Green Bay, Marinette, Oshkosh and Two Rivers.(Photo: Courtesy of Fox Valley Technical College)

The turnaround time for those projects? Just two weeks.

The experience was a bit of a whirlwind, Casey said, but he feels it was invaluable to his future in construction.

"Being out in the field is where I feel like I'm able to learnthe most," Casey said. "And what I learned above all is that construction is very unpredictable. It's never going to be the same day to day. You learn quickly that the industry is always changing and always adapting to people's needs."

But that got Casey thinking about how his classmates we're doing, many of them stuck at home and learning online because, understandably, field trips aren't a safe option. So, he decided to share his experiencesby making a video showcasing the fast-paced construction process.

"You don't really learn from behind a computer ... When you're sitting in class and learning about all the building codes, you tend to get a little lost in it all," Casey said. "So I think if someone's able to share this with other students, I thought it'd be a really good learning tool."

Casey said the class discussion of his video also allowed him to learn more and think about the construction process differently.

"It was really cool to see (my classmates') comments," Casey said. "They pointed out things I didn't even think of."

Rich Cass, a construction management technology instructor at FVTC, said the footage was invaluable to his online classes.

The video tours bring a real-world scenario to class to supplement the field trips we cannot normally do because of COVID-19, he said. Dylans ability to think critically demonstrates his passion for others on both a job site and in class.

MORE:Wisconsin's rural school districts face major barriers to keeping learning going through coronavirus closures: namely, internet access

MORE:What's a 'P-plus'? Here's how Wisconsin schools will grade students for a semester interrupted by coronavirus.

MORE:Here's how Fox Valley high schools and colleges are planning to handle graduation in the age of coronavirus

Contact reporter Samantha West at 920-996-7207 or swest@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @BySamanthaWest.

Read or Share this story: https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/education/2020/05/21/fvtc-student-helps-build-coronavirus-testing-facilities-tents/3116348001/

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Fox Valley Technical College student gets a crash course in construction in the middle of a pandemic - Post-Crescent

Issued May 11-15

TOWNHOUSE: 105 Jeanmard Drive, Lafayette; Maison De La Paix Inc., Phase 2, addition 1, owner; Le Centre Evangeline Corp., applicant; Oak River Construction LLC, contractor; $275,000.

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OFFICE BUILDING: 330 Fisher Road, Lafayette; BVD Lab And Exhibit Building, owner and applicant; Garden City Construction Co., contractor; $1,191,170.

SCHOOL/LIBRARY: 400 Patterson St., Lafayette; Lafayette Parish School Board, owner; The Corne Lemaire Group, applicant; Acadiane Renovations, contractor; $1,557,200.

OTHER: 4400 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Lafayette; ABS DFW Investor LLC, owner; description, Albertsons N0. 0179; Fidel T. Lucio, applicant; Robert Holton, contractor; $0.

OTHER: 4207 Cameron St., Lafayette; Georges Antoun, owner; description, Kibberia Food Processing Kitchen; Philippe E. Prouet, Poche Prouet Associates LLC, applicant; Southwest Contractors LLC, contractor; $448,000.

OFFICE BUILDING: 102 Versailles Blvd., Lafayette; Versailles Centre, owner; description, CGI-Versailles Renovation Package; Rachel Roussel, ACSW Architects, applicant; JB Mouton Inc., contractor; $394,124.

201 Facile Road, Scott;description, metal storage building with living area; Sweeping Striping Services Inc.; $45,000.

212 Maple Branch St., Lafayette; Lancaster Construction LLC; $243,000.

109 Spider Lily Lane, Lafayette; DSLD LLC; $234,000.

308 Adry Lane, Youngsville; Manuel Builders; $193,500.

906 Deer Meadow Blvd., Broussard; DSLD Homes; $202,818.

702 Deer Meadow Blvd., Broussard; DSLD Homes; $287,690.

716 Deer Meadow Blvd., Broussard; DSLD Homes; $202,818.

800 Deer Meadow Blvd., Broussard; DSLD Homes; $289,917.

812 Deer Meadow Blvd., Broussard; DSLD Homes; $287,690.

910 Deer Meadow Blvd., Broussard; DSLD Homes; $260,471.

706 Deer Meadow Blvd., Broussard; DSLD Homes; $287,690.

119 Chloe St., Broussard; DSLD Homes; $209,334.

121 Chloe St., Broussard; DSLD Homes; $202,818.

Read more:
Who's building where in Acadiana? Here are the building permits issued May 11-15 - The Advocate

Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the AE firm Gresham Smith had a client in Tennessee that was in the process of consolidating 1,000 of its employees into an office building that already had 1,000 of its workers. This client would never have discussed the words free addresses or shared desking, says Jack Weber, IIDA, LEED AP, the firms Senior Vice President and Design Principal. But after the virus spread to its market, were doing planning to evaluate unassigned desking for that company, says Weber.

The consideration of additional remote working alternatives and possibly unassigned seating is to create greater desired flexibility for employees, now that the client has tested and invested in remote working and is gaining trust in its employees, explains Weber. The other considerations are for future risk mitigation that will increase business continuity and resiliency during future events. Weber says a second client is also considering this future strategy.

The workplace, post COVID-19, is being viewed as the first line of defense in preventing the spread of infectious germs, states J. Kevin Heinly, AIA, LEED AP, Principal and Managing Director of Genslers San Diego office. In a paper he wrote about redesigning office lobbies, Heinly homed in on improving air quality, designing with antimicrobial materials, leveraging automation and voice activation, and using sensors to screen visitors.

It seemed that everyone had an opinion about workplace infection control. Even National Geographic chimed in with an articlethat explored how the pandemic exacerbated workers fears about returning to workplaces with open-office spaces.

MassMotion, Arups pedestrian dynamics and evacuation simulation software, can also be used to guide the design in environments like office buildings and parks with an eye toward social distancing. In the simulations, agents within six feet turn red and have their time in proximity logged to help test population and operational scenarios.

The digital library site Scribd posted a Back to Work Checklist,based on guidelines established by Congresss bipartisan Member Problem-Solving Caucus, which laid out the public health and economic criteria necessary for workplaces to reopen, including rapid and ubiquitous testing and establishing a contact tracing database.

COVID-19 created a need for workplace continuity in such areas as crisis management, business planning, and disaster recovery planning, says Peter Miscovich, JLLs Managing Director of Strategy and Innovation. Developers, building managers, AEC firms, and tenant companies had to think harder about what it would take to make returning office workers more comfortable and confident that their workplaces are continuously safe.

BuroHappold Engineerings head of analytics Shrikant Sharma cant see how workplace models that include assembly lines and open-plan offices would be tenable for the foreseeable future. Such settings are not conducive to social distancing, says Sharma, who is the Group Director of the firm's Smart Space team.

Using predictive modeling that draws on Internet-of-Things data sets, BuroHappold concluded that beyond 40% occupancy, revisions to desk layout and high footfall areas will be needed to keep occupants six feet from each other.

The future of office space is less densification: far less benching and hoteling, more private areas, more virtual meetings, concurs Andrew Horning, LEED AP, Vice President and COVID-19 Task Force Leader with Bala Consulting Engineers. During the pandemic, Bala published a white paperthat offers detailed infection-control guidelines and solutions for HVAC, filtration, bipolar ionization, UV lighting, pressurization and airflow, humification, ductwork sanitization, and air purification, as well as separate solutions for plumbing, technology, and workplace environment.

Bala recommended imposing greater control on what and who come into buildings. It anticipated greater demand for negative air pressure in common areas like kitchens, says Scott Davis, PE, the firms Vice President and COVID-19 Research Leader. The coronavirus aftermath could even trigger more building renovations and repurposing, says Charles Kensky, Balas Executive Vice President and COVID-19 Research leader.

Its safe to say that we wont go back to the way things were, says Steve Riojas, Global Director of Education and Technology with HDR. Sharron van der Meulen, Partner and Interior Design Practice Leader with ZGF Architects in Portland, Ore., added that as people returned to their workplaces, tenants will need to do some backtracking on space and amenities to discourage workers from gathering in larger groups.

To that end, Cushman & Wakefield, Hines, Delos, and the Well Living Lab in late April announced a collaboration to evaluate methods and establish guidelines for a safe return back to work. The Lab, which is adjacent to the Mayo Clinic campus in Rochester, Minn., is using its office space to gauge practices and technology that might reduce the risk of respiratory virus transmissions.

Cushman & Wakefield is contributing workplace strategy and design protocols. Delos is lending its expertise in air filtration. And Hines, with a global real estate portfolio of more than 500 properties, is drawing on its six decades as a leading developer.

Prior to this announcement, Cushman & Wakefields Recovery Readiness Task Force released a tool kit and protocols for tenants to transition back to work. This includes a 6 feet office concept whose traffic routing is laid out to ensure employees are maintaining social distancing. The elements of this concept include an analysis of current working spaces, workable agreements and rules with employees for personal safety, workstations with personal protective components, training for facility managers, and a certificate stating that these measures are being implemented.

Cushman & Wakefields 6 feet office concept

Along these same lines, Daniel Yudchitz, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Senior Design Architect with Leo A Daly in Minneapolis, recently sketched out a space utilization concept that reimagines the office as a mix of remote and centralized work. Dubbed Converge and Disperse, the concept foresees the amount of space that a tenant can own shifting dramatically, with shared or elastic amenities becoming a bigger part of a buildings offering.

Space shared by multiple tenants on each floor could lead to experimentation with new materials and assembly patterns to enable flexibility. And when workers must disperse, buildings could save energy by being divided into zones whose energy and electricity could be shut down.

None of the AEC sources interviewed by BD+C imagined that human interaction in workplaces would come to a halt. Sustaining social distancing, though, will also require discipline that tests the limits of most workers adaptability.

Clients that place a premium on culture will likely always want a robust physical workplace, says Lise Newman, AIA, Vice President and Workplace Practice Director with SmithGroup.

But even she thought open benching was a thing of the past, and that workers henceforth will expect companies to supply them with personal hygiene aids, like wipes to disinfect keyboards, desktops, and unassigned seats.

Changes in workspaces will likely be more behavioral than physical, observes Fred Schmidt, FIIDA, LEED AP, a Principal in Perkins and Wills Chicago office. Associate Principal Michelle Osburn adds that companies need to alter their policies to make it more culturally acceptable for employees to stay home when theyre not feeling well. The argument that you need to be in the office to do your work has been proven false on a stunning scale, she says.

In its white paper on COVID-19 and the impacts to the workplace, Bala Consulting Engineers provides several HVAC solutions to infection control, including UVC lamps installed within an MEP duct system to kill microorganisms in the airstream.

Remote working might have been more prevalent, before the virus hit, than most people knew. Rebecca Milne, LEED GA, Perkins Eastmans Director of Design Strategy, recalls reading a 2016 study that estimated 43% of U.S. employees worked remotely at least occasionally, and that on any given day 50% to 60% of office desks were empty.

Angie Lee, Vice President and Global Sector Leader-Office Workplace for Stantec in Chicago, cites another recent survey that found nearly three-quarters of the companies polled saying they would move at least 5% of their positions to remote working.

WRNS Studio in San Francisco, which has four offices and 200-plus employees, took our business to the cloud years ago, so remote working during the pandemic wasnt such a big deal, says Sam Nunes, the firms Founding Partner. While he doesnt think WRNS would ever go 100% remote, he can envision more online collaboration as employees rotate in and out of his companys offices. A lot of this will be HR-driven, and depend on new protocols for human interaction, he predicted.

James Woolum, AIA, IIDA, a Partner and Interior Architect at ZGF Architects in Los Angeles, speculated that somewhere between 30% and 40% of companies future workforces could be working from home regularly. And if there are 60 employees in an office that once accommodated 100, spreading them out for social distancing will be easier.

Whatever number of workers eventually works from home, the entire digital platform will become a very big deal to facilitate virtual collaboration, says Stantecs Lee. She also thought that Stantec would need to provide its workplace clients with designs that include larger assembly spaces for when companies bring together their associates at different times of the year. Those designs, she says, would require code changes pertaining to exits and life safety, as well as the number of restrooms needed for that space.

Greater attention to hygiene and cleanliness will distinguish the workplace of the future. The short-term impact of the virus will be more personal space. Handwashing will become more of a regimen, says Connor Glass, Principal and Design Director with Perkins Eastman.

While some AEC sources, like Gresham Smiths Weber, say their clients arent quite ready to discuss antimicrobial solutions, the general consensus among AEC sources is that healthier materials will be deemed essential for workplaces. Wellness will be ascendant, says WRNSs Nunes.

Bipolar ionization, an infection control solution proposed by Bala Consulting Engineers, releases positive and negative ions into the airstream to help the buildings filtration system capture contaminants.

Technology will come into play in such areas as advanced cleaning and sanitizing practices, touchless interaction with objects via automation or voice activation, and the use of UV lights, biometrics, and temperature-monitoring devices that prevent germs from wafting into the building.

Air quality is one of the most compromised aspects of a building, says Shona ODea, BEMP, RESET AP, WELL AP, LEED AP, Senior Associate and Building Performance Analyst with DLR Group. Thats particularly true of office buildings, where only 25% of their airflow comes from the outside. But indoor air quality has mostly focused on improving employees cognition and productivity, notes Milne of Perkins Eastman.

The presence of the coronavirus has shifted that conversation to infection control. In a paper on achieving healthier working environments, Stantecs Sustainability Team Leader Rachel Bannon-Godfrey grouped indoor air quality with building conditions assessments, handwashing infrastructure, industrial hygiene, and mental health design support. Her recommendations include adapting building controls and sequencing to accommodate and monitor additional filtration needs.

ALSO SEE: How the coronavirus is impacting the AEC industry

In a subsequent interview with BD+C, Bannon-Godfrey added that clients in general are showing more interest in the WELL Building Standard, which includes ventilation and airflow guidelines, to determine what constitutes a healthier office.

More firms are positioning themselves as wellness champions these days. Casey Lindberg, PhD, Associate AIA, Senior Design Researcher with HKS, spoke of the opportunity presented by the virus outbreak to connect buildings more directly with nature and air quality. Stantec, notes Bannon-Godfrey, sits on the International Well Building Institutes COVID-19 task force, which has been analyzing the pandemic to see where its guidelines might need tweaking.

The workplace, though, wont change overnight. Several AEC sources cautioned that making workplaces healthier will require code amendments, fundamental behavioral changes on the parts of employees and property managers, and clients who can see the long-term benefits of wellness that might include costly MEP and HVAC upgrades in existing buildings.

Thats a lot to expect from Americans who, in cities around the country, ignored social distancing and stay-at-home mandates. But workplace etiquette wont tolerate such a cavalier attitude toward infection control, predicts ZGF Architects Woolum, who sees the future workplace as a convergence of nature, design, and martial law.

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Infection control in office buildings: Preparing for re-occupancy amid the coronavirus - Building Design + Construction

Whether it's a creaky old house or a brand new, state of the art office block, the buildings we live and work in have a big impact on the environment.

The challenge to reduce this footprint is sizable. According to a recent report from the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, International Energy Agency and the UN Environment Programme, building construction and operations were, globally, responsible for 36% of final energy use in 2018.

Published in December 2019, the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction also stated that, worldwide, the sector accounted for 39% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2018.

It's within this context that architects, designers and lawmakers are undertaking efforts to try to boost the sustainability of the built environment.

These efforts to "green" buildings can take many forms, from using sustainable construction materials to deploying energy efficient technologies such as automatic lighting and LED bulbs.

And while new buildings can be designed with sustainability and efficiency in mind, the reality is that a lot of the planet's building stock is old.

The U.K., for example, is home to many in-use buildings that are over 100 years old. While these structures can be aesthetically striking, they can often be troubled by a raft of issues, from poor insulation and sub-standard ventilation to high maintenance costs.

Take the U.K.'s Houses of Parliament, in central London: One section of the estate, Westminster Hall, dates back to 1099. Plans are being developed to restore this sprawling, aged, complex, with lawmakers set to temporarily move out when works eventually begin.

Such a situation begs the question: Is it better to knock things down and start from scratch or take a more rounded view and retrofit and renovate older buildings so that they're cheaper to maintain and better for the environment?

"Definitely, retrofit is the way forward," Cristina Gamboa, CEO of the World Green Building Council, told CNBC's "Sustainable Energy."

"There has to be a sensibility and a consciousness of the limited resources we have in the world," she added.

To date, 28 major cities including London, Tokyo, Sydney, New York and Johannesburg have signed up to the World Green Building Council's Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment.

Gamboa hailed the "leadership" of these cities, stating that they were "enacting net zero carbon buildings policies but also putting out incentives for industry to transform faster."

While retrofitting and ambitious pledges may be a useful way of boosting the performance of buildings, will we ever be able to build large-scale developments without energy intensive materials such as cement?

"So, I think the answer is no," Gamboa said. "We cannot build without it, right. There has to be solutions that address climate, people and different geographies around the world."

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The planet has a problem with buildings: Here's how smart ideas, tech and design can change that - CNBC

Eight stories is a lot for wood; Vanessa Sturgeon and Bob Thompson predict a V-shaped recovery.

Sturgeon Development Partners (SDP) plans to build one of the tallest cross-laminated timber (CLT) buildings in the western United States in an opportunity zone on Southeast Grand Avenue between Ash and Pine Streets.

Called the Flatworks Building, and based at 234-236 S.E. Grand Ave., groundbreaking is set for the end of 2020, with completion in the second quarter of 2022. LMC Construction of Tualatin will be the contractor. The 130,000-square-foot speculative office building will be eight stories tall and shows the confidence that SDP's president, Vanessa Sturgeon, has in the Portland economy despite the most significant economic depression since the 1930s (see sidebar).

"We are confident in Portland's future to attract more businesses and talent to the region," said Sturgeon, who is the granddaughter of developer Tom Moyer and one of the forces behind Fox Tower and Park Avenue West.

"These have been challenging times for our city, state and country amid the coronavirus, but we will emerge from this stronger. SDP is investing now, because we believe Portland's commercial real estate industry will continue growing, and that our city's economic future is bright."

Flatworks will use Mass Plywood Panels, which are not made in the same crisscross pattern as cross-laminated timber. The building's design shows it will have an eco-roof and be green building certified, as well as having 42 parking spaces and 45 bike parking spaces. The current tallest CLT building in Portland us Carbon12 on Northeast Fremont Street, which is 85 feet tall.

At the time the design was submitted to the Bureau of Development Services, architect Bob Thompson of TVA Architects commented on the building's retro design of tall windows and a mix of precast concrete cladding and brick.

"The building will honor and respect the character and the massing the overall look and feel of the historic buildings that make up the Grand Avenue Historic District." The architect will make its design presentation to the city's Historic Land Use Commission on June 1.

Thompson said, "Oregon and the Pacific Northwest are driven by the timber industry which has allowed us to lead the nation in the continuous evolution of wood-framed buildings," said Thompson. "Portland's inner southeast industrial district over the coming decade will emerge as one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods supporting new creative office space, galleries, restaurants and housing. The views back to the city and the West Hills are unparalleled, along with its connection to light rail and our downtown core."

Thompson is optimistic about the local economy, saying the fundamentals are good and that as soon as the coronavirus restrictions are lifted, activity will rebound. The recovery will be V-shaped rather than U- or L-shaped.

Flatworks will take a year to design, but some of that work will overlap with construction drawing and groundbreaking, making it three year's work executed in two. Thompson is sure it will open in early 2022, and there will be demand for office space.

"The economy should be back up and running in a pretty big way. We're being pretty proactive about making sure that there is available office space back out on the market."

"I do think one of the best things that Oregon's done, though, is keeping the construction industry open during this period of time. It's reinforcing the economy better than a lot of states have that it's done, those that put a halt to construction. We had a number of projects in Washington that went on hold when Governor Inslee rolled construction and manufacturing into a part of their non-essential work. He's since watched what's happened in Oregon and how successful Kate Brown's program has been, and they've reopened construction now and manufacturing, which is a real positive for their economy."

He is optimistic TVA can survive on a mixture of private and publicly funded work. The firm made it through the last recession thanks to private-sector work such as the new headquarters project for Nike over in Shanghai, China, the Phil Knight-funded Matthew Knight Arena at the University of Oregon, and the Park Avenue West tower next to Nordstrom.

"They were all large projects which kept our staff in place, all well-funded projects, too, which really helped us navigate through the Great Recession. Now we're very busy in the health care area and the multifamily housing."

He points out that Park Avenue West was just a hole in the ground for five years because "it was privately funded by Mr. Moyer (Vanessa Sturgeon's grandfather). Then when they went out to the lending markets, that's when the economy obviously started to decline, in 2008, 2009."

This downturn is different.

"That recession was all economically driven. There was a lot of long term uncertainty. This (coronavirus slowdown) is a problem independent of the economy. The economy at heart is still strong. Once they find a vaccine, hopefully, the recovery time will be quite a bit shorter."

Thompson told the Business Tribune that it has been interesting seeing his team of 50 working from home and communicating well virtually.

"It's going a lot better than what I ever anticipated. I miss the collaboration or the ability to more fluidly connect with people versus like a Zoom meeting."

TVA has 30 projects on the go. Being project-based means staff has some security two or three years ahead. "Construction is up and running still, which is a blessing. We should be thankful.

Thompson has a wide-angle view of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I'm 65, and back in the late 1960s, there was the Hong Kong flu, and it killed every bit as many people as this one."

He points out that the Woodstock music festival, which pulled together 400,000 people in a field, was in the summer of 1969 right after the Hong Kong flu, which then spiked in the winter of 1969.

"We didn't have social media and the cable networks. It was pretty much left up to the medical professions and the scientists, and it wasn't politicized. It just kind of happened and the economy was never closed. I'm not a proponent for that. It's just interesting."

Sturgeon told the Business Tribune that opportunity zones caused a stir when they were first announced.

"They caused a lot of interest at the beginning. The COVID crisis has shut down the economy for the moment, but we raised a lot of money for the fund pre-COVID. This project has been in the works for quite some time."

The investors are still keen.

"We haven't heard from anyone that's getting cold feet. The timing is solid because the economy should be recovered by the time we are opening (in 2022)."

Speaking about construction in Portland in general, Sturgeon said, "I think the projects that have already started are going to continue. The question is whether people are going to continue to build speculative office and retail projects."

The big question is how the market for office and retail space will change. She expects some retail bankruptcies. And the trend for collaborative workspaces no cubicles, long tables and hot-desking with people wearing headphones is now dying.

"I think people are thinking about what if this happens again, can we weather the storm effectively? How can we be compliant with social distancing? It costs a lot of money to shut down. Right now, our feeling is that we need to build better stuff. So (that means) creating a workspace that really draws attention and fits with their values. We're talking about the tallest cross-laminated timber office building in the West."

Sturgeon says that kind of project will attract companies who value sustainability, the comforting feeling of wood, and the walkability of offices with retail spaces on their ground floor.

"You have to really build something that speaks to people. Standard office space is potentially going to be sitting for quite some time."

She's a big fan of TVA Architects. "We have always felt that Bob's architecture stands the test of time."

Asked what could jeopardize the project in the next two years, she recalled a talk by Ben Bernanke, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, gave to the Brookings Institution saying that the coronavirus recession is not going to be anywhere near like the Great Depression.

"Frankly, my biggest worry is how it's going to impact people who were already in a tenuous financial position. So, the homeless or those living on the brink of homelessness. I think that the economy is going to rebound and it's not going to be a two-year problem. It's going to be a significant issue for the next several months or year, but Portland has a very strong and stable economy, we don't overbuild. Our growth is that steady, and I don't see the virus changing that."

Asked whether local officials have done a good job so far, she said she didn't know.

"The state officials are in a very tough spot. They're prognosticating and doing their best to balance reopening the economy with keeping people safe and healthy. That's really impossible. So, there's definitely going to be some (policy) fixes later."

SDP also has a project at Thurman and Northwest 17th, and she still expects it to open on time in early July. It's another speculative project, a machine shop being converted into creative office space, and it does not have any tenants yet. "For a really well-done office project, I don't worry."

She sees Portland's growth as unstoppable by any recession.

"I look at Portland as an organic growth area. There are a lot of tech that our opening offshoot offices here, but we also have a lot of organic growth from local companies."

Joseph GallivanReporter, The Business Tribune971-204-7874This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and InstagramSubscribe to our E-News

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Sturgeon's Flatworks will be one of the tallest cross-laminated timber towers in the west - Portland Tribune

Office usage in Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver is more varied, and it shows in the stats, according to CoStar.

"The Dallas-FW office vacancy rate is the least impacted relative to the major energy markets, only rising from 18% currently to 19% in the worst-case scenario. Denver, with the lowest overall 4&5-Star vacancy rate among these markets, could see a slight rise in vacancies of 2.5 percentage points in the worst-case scenario but would still retain the tightest vacancy rate across the four metros."

Comparing not-so-lil-ol' Oklahoma City, population 655,057, to Houston, population 2.3 million, isn't quite as crazy as it seems when the historic-economic kinship of the oil business is taken into consideration. Plus we should probably get ready for more comparisons with bigger cities, and more caveats. In case you missed it, Oklahoma City is now the 25th largest city in the United States, up six spots since 2010, according to the Census Bureau.

Things change. Population isn't everything. Tulsa used to be known as the Oil Capital of the World, and CoStar didn't even look that direction.

(Story continued below...)

Email Real Estate Editor Richard Mize at rmize@oklahoman.com.

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Not to be crude, but Oklahoma City and Houston, we have a problem - Oklahoman.com