Post-Pandemic Office Design for Equity & Inclusion

Office design will transform in response to the global pandemic. Reducing density, ensuring the safety of surfaces and air, monitoring workers for symptoms and for antibodies are expected. Innovation will deliver new materials for furniture, flooring and hardware. Elevators, doors and toilet rooms will be rethought. But not everyone will return to the office. 30-40% of the workforce are expected to work remotely. And it can be predicted that those who remain remote will include the same people most vulnerable to the coronavirus: people of color, people with disabilities and older people and the 15 - 23.5 million Americans with an autoimmune condition. A deliberate commitment to designing for equity among present and virtual co-workers goes well beyond the occasional Zoom meeting. Hard won places at the table are jeopardized by a two-tier system. The panel will explore precedents and options for everyone to be equitably respected and fully engaged.