The new threat of pandemic has thrust new cadres of experts into the public eye. Now that we’re heading into a sharp and sudden economic downturn, popularly known as the recession, with ballooning unemployment and a steep decline in the market conditions, the world’s attention must be driven towards – How is this post pandemic recession different from the others in the past?
For many in the design community, however, this pandemic has caused them to reevaluate their life’s work, and what it might mean to design for a world that will never be quite the same, with practically implementing the theories of distance spacing in our designs. After all, necessity is the mother of invention, and here, in architecture, more so implementation. It will immensely affect our perception as citizens with respect to the importance of distance spacing especially when it comes to how we gather in and use large public spaces, like plazas, parks, hotels, fitness centres, shopping centres, offices, markets–flea, seafood, etc. distance spacing is one of the many concerns we might have to face in this recession.
Though we look at the brighter side, the elephant in the room still remains unaddressed.
What can we expect next as architects? How can we mitigate the damage? This recession can be short, painful and very different from any that have come before. Though the subsequent recovery might be just as quick and historic as we just have to restart, and not technically recreate.
And who knows, once we get our policies and principles right, we might end up finding the challenges and opportunities disguised as market instability.
The architects should identify the real problems associated with time as well as space and provide efficient solutions for the same. This in turn shall also be supported by the industry to promote or make citizens understand the importance of the design approach by us. Because citizens tend to invest only when they understand the benefits.
As well said by an architect Tadao Ando —
“I would like my architecture to inspire people to use their own resources, to move into the future.”
That’s why, when you look at all the projects that are on halt, it is shocking. However if you look at the greener side of the same problem those people are not permanently displaced. Those people potentially can go right back on a recall to the job or project that existed before. Hence, it wouldn’t be wrong to say – we have lost the time but not
money.
The important thing here is to realize that this predicament was triggered by a health crisis. The economy’s cycle is hampered while in the earlier recession the economy suffered because of the structural issue. Switching to pandemic, we didn’t have any similar issues. We were struggling to get growth. Whereas, now we have to restart with
a boost to recover the backlog because of the pandemic and we will be back on track.
This recession is different for us. It’s only us, who have set the ball rolling and do not have to start from designing the ball.
Good stuff