Designing A New Workplace: Pandemic Inspired Offices

What will the office look like in a post-COVID-19 world? It's a question architects and office designers have been wrestling with for months. NBC's Chris Pollone reports.

(NBC News) — What will the office look like in a post-COVID-19 world?

It’s a question architects and office designers have been wrestling with for months.

Darby Frizzell of the commercial flooring company Interface says there will always be a need for offices, but not everyone will need to go there every day.

She thinks decision-makers are realizing the keys to a healthy office have been apparent all along.

“We should have been providing flexible work schedules and then also healthy, safe and beautiful spaces where employees feel really comfortable coming in,” Frizzell says.

Frizzell expects changes will go beyond mere floor stickers reminding people to spread out, and the trend of packing more people in smaller spaces is over.

Designers at North Carolina’s Duda|Paine Architects are trying to answer one key question.

“How do we make this a safe, healthy environment that you feel comfortable going back in?” says Turan Duda.

For them, that means designing buildings with fresher, cleaner air and access to sky gardens and other outdoor spaces.

Even as this pandemic subsides, experts expect new ones to appear in the U.S. more frequently, and that means ensuring people always feel safe going to work is crucial to the economy.

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