How to protect college students from Covid19
It is curious that Universities are vigorously debating how they should adapt to the digital world in an accelerated way; its drawbacks, its advantages, new opportunities, etc. And let's not see that same implication in how the classrooms or the internal spaces of the centers should be organized when the students return to the classrooms.
So that we have a quick perspective, I present some points that will help us to have a quick overview:
- The best universities to study architecture in the world are making a titanic effort to provide online training, seeking to introduce online formats with greater intensity in face-to-face classes.
- From online training we can extract: the first, that we still have a lot to learn, and more, when we talk about evaluating digitally, and the second, that educational institutions do not consider being 100% online either.
- The Ministry of the University (Spain) has recently published the document of recommendations for an «adapted presence» that we can read from HERE. I will summarize it for you! … That each University manage as best it can, but adapt the spaces to a separation of 1 , 5 meters between the occupants, wear masks against pathogens and wash your hands.
- There are millions of university students who, somehow, sooner or later, will have to go through educational centers.
- It is easy to find organizational and technical proposals to optimize the space of a restaurant or bar in the face of Covid 19, and in the educational field, you have to search in depth. I don't get it!
- To date, we have only found a few serious documents - if not one - that analyze and propose organizational situations of how university educational spaces should be projected to try to minimize the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic in the classroom.
Someone once commented that … "when you have no idea where to start, look at others, and take note." Because here, there is a puzzle to solve between; health security, financial viability and student success.
there is a puzzle to solve between; health security, financial viability and student success
We do not evaluate universities exclusively online. We try to understand how we can act before a traditional university and its structure.
We start with the indications of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), we must first understand the hierarchy of controls before COVID-19 (We will see a document of interest later).
Although the following scheme is obvious, and surely debatable on some points. We need to start with a base concept:
The best technical study we have seen is the one carried out by the architecture and engineering firm LEO A DALY with the title White paper: Returning to campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. we can see HERE). With this report and the little information on the web, we have begun to outline some possible steps …
1.- The need for social distancing, only physically
Research has shown that students are academically successful when they commit. "Social distancing" is not the way to engage students. Students must participate socially and distance themselves physically.
"Social distancing" is not the way to engage students. Students must participate socially and physically distance themselves
As there are occupancy limitations in University spaces, and after studying the dynamics of infection on campuses, the idea of creating "micro communities of students" can be applied.
That is, organize students into smaller groups with similarities: student, residence, etc, but … Why?
- Smaller student groups are easier to control and adaptable to classrooms before space restrictions.
- The benefits of being socially connected would be retained
- Interaction with other students outside the group is reduced, reducing the risk of contagion.
2.- Entrances, exits and corridors
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in their guide on social distancing and considerations for Institutes of Higher Education. It is recommended that students be guided in one direction when we treat common spaces in an educational setting.
One-way traffic can help avoid congestion and reduce bottlenecks at main entrances
One-way traffic can help avoid congestion and reduce bottlenecks at main entrances by keeping in mind that:
- Provide a single point of entry where surveillance can be carried out if necessary (See article on how thermal imaging cameras can help us fight Covid 19).
- Provide signage to direct student traffic to training spaces.
- Post posters in highly visible places (eg, building entrances, bathrooms, dining rooms) that promote and remind everyday protective measures.
- Include messages (for example, videos, informational emails, web notices, etc.) about behaviors that prevent the spread of COVID-19 when communicating with faculty, staff, and students.
- Provide multiple exits from the building to quickly disperse students after class.
We are already seeing that the distribution of students in small groups will be essential to achieve adequate social distancing. From the American Institute of Architects they have created an extensive document of possible solutions with different variants (The article and PDF with information can be consulted from HERE).
A document that presents "toolkit for space distribution" and as an example:
An interesting new initiative is the one carried out by the UPV (Polytechnic University of Valencia). They have created an app that helps avoid crowds in centers where by means of a map we can distinguish which areas are the most crowded and thus reduce the risk of new COVID-19 infections.
We can plan our routes and avoid the most crowded places, facilitating compliance with the health recommendations of social distance. We can consult the information from HERE.
3.- Classrooms and multidisciplinary rooms
In classrooms, the possible "furniture game" will play an essential role in social distancing. If possible, a single entry and exit should be promoted using a one-way traffic route to help limit contact.
In the following diagram we can see different examples of adaptability - always thinking in micro groups of students - to different sizes of classrooms:
The training spaces of the students will not always be rigid and can be spaces where different interactions are practiced. Here, we will have to act in a coherent organization.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) published a toolkit in a document that provides strategies to limit coronavirus exposure in buildings as restrictions begin to ease (Very interesting document from HERE).
For spatial connectivity in a room with a door while maintaining social distancing, he proposes to apply the following strategies:
4.- Bathrooms
When we find classrooms or common elements of a university - for example, corridors - that represent large spaces, it is much easier to achieve social distancing by having fewer architectural barriers.
If we talk about bathrooms, the issue of health security becomes quite complicated if we want a coherent social distancing, both due to its architectural characteristics and its use. Suggested measures to minimize transmission in shared bathrooms are:
- The toilets and sinks will be used alternately (There is also the option of being able to include individual external bathrooms, outside the teaching building)
- It is required to be minimize contact with possible accessories that we find in the bathroom.
- Try to create one-way routes with signage or possible furniture that creates barriers of separation.
- More frequent cleaning and disinfection.
As a collaborative and effective example, the architecture and design studio Mix Desing in collaboration with the University of Gallaudet collaborated to create inclusive bathrooms and changing rooms in their sports facility at the University where the reorganization of the bathrooms achieves a one-way path (The Mix Design studio has an interesting case study on institutional entrances to Covid 19 from HERE).
5.- The dining room for students
Many of the large universities in Spain, within their campuses, have several dining rooms for students housed in the most concurrent faculties.
There is no technical information on how we could organize a student canteen, but, due to its similarity to large restaurants, we have found a document that can help us.
The MASS Design studio has a technical document and how we can adapt a restaurant for infection control with the best existing practices (We can consult it from HERE).
It is clear that it is difficult to reorganize and adapt a student cafeteria, without counting the expense that it may entail, but we can start from a document that is technically very well raised.
6.- Exterior space of the campus
We recently published an article on our blog about the first urban guide to fight the Coronavirus pandemic. A new urbanism will have to change many traditional concepts to protect citizens. In the "open-air" areas of the campuses, we are in the same situation.
Although we continue with the constant lack of information to organize public spaces, the famous urban planning study Gehl People published a document on "things we are doing in the new normal" that we can see HERE.
There is a seminar published on YouTube about «Emergency Urbanism. Temporary adaptation of cities in the face of pandemics »supported by the Polytechnic University of Madrid that we undoubtedly recommend viewing:
Obviously we still have a lot to learn, and our intention in this article is only to reflect some guides and points of information that can be useful to begin to structure safer universities for our students.
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