Architecture of the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us in many ways as a society – in Denmark and the rest of the world – to organise ourselves differently and to change our behaviour. In a concise time, the virus has mobilised governments, altered markets, and, not least, changed people’s everyday lives.

The pandemic has led to major shifts in everyday routines and the physical environment, including new boundaries between work and leisure, social distancing, and new hygiene routines. But the pandemic has also given rise to novel solutions in response to the immediacy and intensity of its impacts. Some of these solutions are temporary measures, while others have potential, beyond the pandemic, to contribute to increased quality of life in the buildings where we spend so much of our time.

These are examples from which we can learn, and which may help society to emerge from the pandemic more resilient than before when it comes to the physical environment,which affects so much of our everyday lives.

The purpose of this compendium has been to collect and highlight examples, in cities and buildings, of responses to the needs arising from COVID-19 – both in Denmark and internationally. These examples may inspire and contribute to the discussion on how we can add value to pandemic preparedness in the built environment through a ‘Build Back Better’ approach. And, while novel today, these examples may someday become a natural part of everyday, post-pandemic life.

Denne publikation findes også i en dansk udgave:

Pandemiens arkitektur