As we have been quarantining and working from home like the rest of the world, Bea and I have been taking the time the time to think of how we – as architects – can help during this pandemic. Bea has written a series of blog posts on the subject, many of which have been picked up by local and national publications.
HEALTHY BUILDINGS
Bea is a WELL Building Standard Accredited Professional who is truly interested in creating healthy interiors and buildings promoting wellbeing of their occupants. Her article: ‘How Architecture Can Defend Us From Germs, Bacteria, And Viruses Like COVID-19‘ was picked up in its entirety by Work Design Magazine and quoted heavily by Forbes Magazine.
The original blog post was also shared by AIA Pennsylvania and AIA Pittsburgh as a permanent link in a series of pandemic-related resources.
AGING IN (A SAFE) PLACE
As well, Bea and Eric both have a special interest in how design can help the wellbeing of older people. They both have years of experience working on multifamily and senior housing complexes. In a second article, Bea shared her thoughts on why Italy is the second oldest country by age and how architecture can be of help no matter the country where you live.
The piece was published as an op-ed by the local newspaper TribLive.
LEARNING, FOR ALL
Third, Bea was interviewed in late May by the Smithsonian magazine on the future of museums after the pandemic ends. She gave her insights on design features that can be implemented fairly quickly, but also discussed bigger topics like: Virtual museums, open-air museums, and museums diffused in the urban context.
During her years back in Italy, Bea learned a lot about the Reggio Emilia Approach as promoted by “Reggio Children”. She wrote also an article that discusses the important role of the space as a “third teacher”: Third, that is, right after the parents and the school instructors. Our kids learn a lot about life from the architecture of the places they experience. Her focus in this article is to promote ways in which you can make your home more experience-friendly for kids.
Stay tuned for more articles to be published on our Fisher ARCHitecture blog!