Hospitality Design - Marketplace Fall 2020 - 43

covid considerations interview designer insights
By Matt Dougherty
Photos courtesy of Perkins and Will, //3877, and MatchLine Design Group

THINKING DIFFERENTLY

Three design firms pivot in the current moment

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues on longer
than all had hoped, and with no sure sign of when
a vaccine might become widely available, the
hospitality industry is adapting to immediate design
needs. "The post-COVID-19 design process requires
designers to [navigate] every space within the hotel
or resort on a micro scale to determine the particular
touchpoints that guests favor," says Lesley Hughes
Wyman, partner and principal at Dallas-based
MatchLine Design Group.
With this rigorous approach, firms are speccing
products with fresh eyes on health and safety.
Proving trickier, however, is eliminating harmful
invisible pathogens and microorganisms. Though
the use of antimicrobials had seen an uptick even
before the coronavirus hit, there's debate around
their effectiveness in the wake of the pandemic.
Chicago-based Perkins and Will, a design firm with
a robust healthcare practice, has been researching
antimicrobials since 2016. "The majority of these
are put into products as preservatives," explains
associate principal Mary Dickinson. "To date,
we haven't had any published studies outside of
a lab that antimicrobials are reducing disease."
She notes that the FDA ruled against companies
using antimicrobials in soaps, and that they had
no positive impact in hospital gowns or mattresses.
"You have antimicrobials that are addressing some
of the bacteria, but they're marketing themselves
[otherwise], making people feel as though they can
control the virus," she adds.
Copper, on the other hand, is known to be able to
kill viruses, and, with careful integration, may prove
a solution in certain areas. But, along with silver,
imbedding copper in textiles and rugs leads to more
questions. "The concern here is that when those
products are laundered, those metals release in the
water stream," says Brenda Smith, Perkins and Will
associate principal, health. "We've chosen to look
at places where you can imbed those materials in a
stable way," including in hardware and sinks.
For David Tracz, partner and principal at
Washington, DC's //3877, the reimagined public
restroom includes increased demand for selfcontained basins that include drying functions, and
stalls that feature sinks and dryers to reduce time
spent near other guests. Still, optics play their part
in every space. "The priority," he says, "is making
patrons feel comfortable-just seeing plastic dividers,
UV lights, sanitization stations, prominent signage,
and touchless features eases discomfort."
But as Hughes Wyman points out, "not everyone
can order brand-new furniture to adapt to the new
normal." Not every solution is viable in the face of
reduced budgets or even scientific research. The
ability to adapt, however, is key. "Don't look for the
silver bullet, but let's design in a way that's going to
have longevity," Dickinson says. "Today isn't the last
of it. New antimicrobials will come out. We just have
to do our due diligence." hd

The Piedmont Wellness Center in Fayettville, Georgia, designed by Perkins
and Will, employs sustainable materials to service the local community

12 Stories bar in Washington, DC, with interiors from //3877,
boasts 360-degree views of the capitol and the Potomac River

MatchLine Design Group imbued an industrial
aesthetic to the Embassy Suites by Hilton Jonesboro
Red Wolf Convention Center in Arkansas

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Hospitality Design - Marketplace Fall 2020

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