i + D - May/June 2020 - 27

Contributors
While the world continues to experience the shorter-term effects of the coronavirus pandemic, individuals
also recognize that its far-reaching implications will morph into an ever-changing new normal, in both
a personal and a professional sense. Among the innovative pioneers in the built environment, the design
industry is positioning itself to help shape the products, services, and, most importantly, the places that will
ensure the optimal health, safety, and wellbeing of humankind today and in the future. Our authors in this
issue of i+D weigh in. -Linda K. Monroe

2. Brian Libby,
Designing the Future
When Brian conversed with the professionals for
his article on design in a post-COVID environment
(p. 28), he was reminded that "designers are

inherently optimistic people who have always
thought about how to better organize the way
we move through rooms, or buildings, or whole
cities," he says. "This story reminded me that every
crisis is also an opportunity." As a result, he is also
optimistic about design's role as society moves even
further ahead. "Designers are the people who are
going to figure this out," he states. "I think most
people believe we will move into an opened-up
society that retains aspects of quarantine and social
distancing. How we go forward is a thousand
different little problems that have to be solved.
But, our interior designers, architects, and planners
have the expertise to help us." During these past
months, Brian has been busy completing a book
manuscript-that he says he's "been working on
for years"-and having fun with one of his many
artistic hobbies: making short travelogue films.
3. Jessica Goldbogen Harlan,
Brave New World
Jessica was intrigued by her interview subjects
responding to the global pandemic, especially in
their creative reinterpretation of codes and zoning-
the focus of her article (p. 36). "I was particularly
fascinated learning about the way the staff at
Mount Sinai Hospital was able to create efficient
and effective systems under unimaginable pressure,"
she recalls. "From simple things, like writing patient
notes in Sharpie on door windows to creating
ad-hoc air filtration systems, their resourcefulness
impressed me." In the future, she believes designers
will play a significant role in keeping individuals
safe and healthy, from both a physical and a mental
standpoint. "I can imagine a trend towards homes

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and public spaces incorporating designs that will
keep us more comfortable and in better spirits if
ever we go through another similar pandemic in
the future. Larger common areas, private outdoor
spaces, and better work-from-home setups come to
mind," she notes. A confirmed cat person, Jessica
and her family adopted a puppy from a rescue
organization during their quarantine, and, she
adds, her (now former) perspective has changed.
"It's been fun taking my pup on walks...seeing my
neighborhood and nearby park through her eyes."
4. Brian J. Barth,
Changing the Landscape
When asked about the role of design in a
post-COVID world, Brian remarks, "The sudden
reorientation of our relationship to public space
makes it clear that professional designers will play
a critical role in figuring out how to make recent
temporary interventions part of the urban fabric in
the long term." With his background working for
a magazine that focuses on landscape architecture,
Brian was the perfect candidate to write about the
same topic, albeit with present day's more unique
circumstances, in this issue (p. 42). Did he learn
anything new? Yes, he affirms. "It amazed me how
quickly the designers I spoke with are adapting,"
he replies. "While transitioning to working from
home in dealing with the economic impacts of
the lockdown, they are already at the forefront of
designing the post-COVID world. As a freelance
writer, Brian notes the situation hasn't been as
dramatic for him as for many people. "But,"
he adds, "I have enjoyed the extra downtime-
catching up on my reading!"

Image 1: Rashidah De Vore/Image 2: Grace Kook-Anderson/Image 3: Erin Brauer/Image 4: Christine Nobel

1. Diana Mosher,
Think Tank
Diana describes herself as a glass-half-full person,
and she positively deals with difficult situations
by searching for any silver lining or learning
opportunity. Such was the case with the queries
she posed to the resources in her "Business of
Design" article on communicating during and after
a crisis (p. 22). "I enjoyed interviewing some of the
industry's most talented and creative communicators
about helping brands to not only stay connected
and relevant, but also come out ahead with new
entrepreneurial initiatives in place," she explains.
"At the same time, these brand stewards have
successfully maintained the right tone throughout
the pandemic, so messaging does not appear
tone-deaf to the larger tragedy that is still
unfolding." With the limits in social interaction
everyone has experienced in recent months, Diana
put her time to productive use: She indicates
she began noticing, and then documenting on
Instagram, the interesting architectural details she
saw on daily walks in her Jackson Heights,
New York, neighborhood. "Even some of the most
unremarkable buildings sometimes have interesting
original details or enhancements have been made to
bolster their curb appeal. In normal times, I used
to rush past in a hurry, but now I make time to stop
and take a picture."

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i + D - May/June 2020

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