7 must reads for the AEC industry today: May 8, 2020

1. The pillars of work (GBBN)
"The workplace will most certainly look different in the future, but how different it looks will be unique to every organization. There (still) is no one-size-fits-all solution."

2. 'Lakehouse' is the first multifamily project in Colorado to receive WELL Precertification (BD+C)
"new 12-story, 196-unit mixed-use condominium and rowhome community has become the first multifamily project in Colorado to earn WELL Precertification under the WELL Building Standard."

3. New NIBS report evaluates natural disaster mitigation strategies (BD+C)
"The document addresses strengthening buildings for flood, wind, wildfires, and earthquakes. It examines building code requirements, federal grants, and retrofit strategies. Its goal is to help communities, building owners, and representatives in the private finance, insurance, and real estate industries initiate a greater mitigation dialogue."

4. Death of the office (The Economist)
"As the pandemic leaves offices around the world empty, Catherine Nixey asks what was the point of them anyway?"

5. Sloan Publishes Building Commissioning Guide Outlining How to Prepare Commercial Restrooms Prior to Building Re-Opening from COVID-19 (Sloan)
"There are serious risks associated with prolonged system inactivity. Water that sits in plumbing lines for extended periods of time becomes stagnant, which could lead to elevated levels of lead and copper. This water also has the potential to contain little to no residual disinfectant, leading to elevated levels of bacteria and other microbiological contaminants."

6. Will You Want to Go Straight Back Into the Crowd? (New York Times)
"Planners once dreamed of cities with vast empty plazas and quiet streets. Post-pandemic, might they do so again?"

7. Report Addresses UV Technology in Fighting Coronavirus (Maintenance & Operations)
"In response to a wave of seemingly conflicting statements and opinions about the disinfection capabilities and safety of GUV (germicidal ultraviolet light), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) recently issued a report explaining GUV disinfection and its potential to safely reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19."

The Architectural Billings Index measures the general sentiment of U.S. architecture firms about the health of the construction market by measuring 1) design billings and 2) design contracts. Any score above 50 means that, among the architecture firms surveyed, more firms than not reported seeing increases in design work vs. the previous month.