Earlier this month, the Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse announced that his historic Allard bistro in Paris has been fitted with the same ventilation system that’s used in hospital operating theatres. He has also fixed sailcloth blinds and transparent table separators. All this to give his diners extra safety when life resumes after the pandemic.
Whether restaurants or offices, such initiatives are only the beginning of many design changes that we will witness as businesses figure out how to balance wellbeing with practicality, safety and efficiency.
Robert Verrijt is the principal architect at Mumbai-based Architecture Brio. He says the threshold might become an important spot in the post-Covid world. “It is the space between the public space and the private. This foyer or vestibule is a space to be welcomed, where one can sanitise without bumping into people,” he points out.
Medical experts recommend six-feet spacing between tables to reduce the risk of infection. But, as Verrijt says, in urban India, given the high property prices restaurants will not be able to implement this and match turnover targets. They will have to adopt temporary measures such as intermittent seating and increasing table spacing. Most important, they will have to look into central air-conditioning systems since air circulation at high speeds is a concern for infections. This issue will affect offices and factories too.
An office design by ADND
The concern is that social distancing measures and sanitation protocols will make the office and restaurant of the future a cold and unwelcoming space. This, in turn, can affect the mood and mental well-being of clients and workers. To combat this, Verrijt advises the use of ambient lighting and imaginative projections. He also says that restaurants should keep their floor space adaptable and flexible. “Freeing up space can allow one to bring in plants or other fun objects to brighten up the interiors and keep the air quality clean while they double up as social distancing props,” he says.
Glass dividers and plenty of green corners is the answer, according to Shobhan Kothari, co-founder of architecture firm ADND. The well-being of employees will take centre stage for companies, she says. “The design will have to elevate their moods and bring nature close to them. Multi-functional spaces might also be one solution,” he says.
Minnie Bhatt of Minnie Bhatt Design says that restaurants could use see-through screens between tables to help diners feel connected with other guests. Plants and natural light will become important to impart that sense of health and freshness.
When airlines resumed operations, several passengers spoke of how intimidating it felt to interact with airline staff who were kitted out in full PPE suits. Being served by waiters in safety gear can be a depressing experience. Realising this, Sarah Sham, principal designer at Essajees Atelier, says restaurants will have to invest in new kinds of safety kits. This means we can expect efforts from fashion designers to come up with light and smart PPE suits that don’t make restaurant or café staff look like ICU personnel.
With air-conditioning and enclosed spaces being deemed unhealthy, both offices and restaurants will probably begin to use outdoor and semi-covered spaces, balconies and terraces in innovative ways. This would not just be physically healthy but also mentally uplifting.
Overall, as the contours of a post-Covid design world slowly emerge, they show that adhering to social distancing and sanitation norms need not make spaces depressing. The emphasis is going to be on transparent partitions, bright colours, lots of greenery and plenty of natural light. Cluttered spaces will be replaced by minimalist designs. Open-floor plan offices might revert to cubicles but with see-through partitions.
To prevent the gloomy choice of keeping employees entirely away from each other, offices might opt for multiple water-cooler and coffee machine points to avoid crowding while still allowing socialising. Design experts point out that outdoor lunch rooms could also make for a viable and cheerful option.
As the days go by, more and more attention is likely to be lavished on finding solutions to make eating-out spaces and working spaces — the two most common activities of the modern human being — both comfortable and comforting in a post-pandemic world.
