Dana Getman (DG) and Steven Garcia (SG), members of SHoP Architects and professors of this year’s AAP NYC Integrated Design Studio, take a moment to discuss the inevitable shift in design thinking as it relates to the coronavirus.
Can you describe your creative process and how you’ve seen it change during the time of the coronavirus?
DG: In terms of teams, it has been the loss of the ability to sketch on the wall or do physical models so we have shifted over to digital pin-up boards. But really, we’re architects, we’re designers, we communicate through drawing. Though there’s some capability with Zoom, but we are mainly trying to focus on how to continue with the interactive process we are used to even though we’re in this binary [I’m speaking to you, you’re speaking to me] Zoom landscape.
SG: For SHoP, the office is a huge resource in that there are a variety of ways to work. Some of these tools, such as augmented reality, we haven’t been able to integrate as readily as we would have in our typical design process. We’ve had to make some adjustments for how to compensate for that to understand and visualize the design. That’s one of the things we’ve honed in on— how to plan for what assets we want to make use of in the future for our firm.
How have you seen your firm respond to this architectural crisis?
DG: One thing that comes to mind is networking and how important this was to our office before the pandemic. Our network has really enabled us to support each other. A lot of people are going through really hard times right now and everyone has a situation that is made much different, and those situations are different from one another. On paper we’ve been very efficient and functional. Part of that is really the communication and connectivity of our team and having that built-up culture and a really strong support network. We have each other and that’s been really critical right now.
In terms of practice, we’re all remote right now and we’re in the process of data collection on how that’s been going. Short-term has been totally fine so the question for us is long-term. How do we adapt our practice of what’s working right now and get back some of what we’ve missed in terms of tools in the physical office?
At our office, we don’t like to live in a silo or in a bubble so we have been proactive in talking with our colleagues, not just in architecture, but in the development, tech, and public sectors to see how everyone is adapting. We do have some clients who have been working remotely for years now. We are learning from them in how quickly we are able to transition so we don’t skip a beat in our productivity. We are a culture of questioning and it has led us to being open-minded in trying to look at different ways of how we work in the future. We’ve been thinking of how we can give people more flexibility and have people be more productive when they’re in the office. We don’t have an answer, we’re in a data collection and research mode on that right now.
SG: I’ll piggyback on one thing you said. We’ve always approached our office as a laboratory for how we design, especially the workspace, and right now more than ever workspace and home are basically one. How you function and move through what used to be very distinctive spaces have changed. So there’s a lot of questions around that. What do you actually take from that experience to prepare to use the office in a different way? What role does mental health and well being play in how we design the office going forward?
Is there anything that hasn’t changed?
SG: The thing that comes to mind is that instead of what hasn’t changed, it’s what has proven to always be the case all along. For me that thing is the flow of communication. You can get around when you’re in the office and go and tap someone on the shoulder but all this has really done is emphasize how critical communication really is to keeping progress flowing. It has brought that ever more to the forefront. It was already the case but this has made it now more evident than ever.
DG: We’ve been doing newsletters every day from different SHoPpers just to keep that personal connection. Also for me at home one of the things I really value is the community garden. Playgrounds are shut down so the thing that hasn’t changed is the face that plants are still growing and there’s nature. It’s just good to get out and experience that. It’s a good reminder that things are moving forward. It’s uplifting that it’s the spring season and things grow! Spring has not changed, it’s still there. I think it’s better because the air quality is amazing right now. That’s the silver lining in all of this.
What are your thoughts on how the future of the field will change as it relates to reflecting on this collective experience?
DG: It’s still very early to determine where the outcomes are going. Adaptability is definitely going to change. It’s like a mass experiment for working remotely right now and it’s helpful to learn about what works and what doesn’t. I don’t think we’ll go back to what it was before. We talk about density in the city and we are all here for a reason. We will come out of this in a strong way. What that means in terms of our spaces is there is still research to be done. It has put a lot of awareness on wellness and creating healthier buildings and a cleaner environment. Those are some things that have become very clear given that we have all been working remote. The care that people are for themselves and air quality will become more important issues than they were before COVID-19.
SG: That’s a hard one, let’s leave it at that.