Assessment of the Change in Design Strategy of Apartment Buildings in the Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Era

• Published in: Buildings (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 12; p. 2949
• Main Authors: Lu, Shideng, Lau, Raymond, Leung, Ho Hon, Yan, Gaoliang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.11.2023
• Subjects: Analysis; apartment building; Apartment buildings; Apartments; Architectural design; Building design; built environment; China; Coexistence; Comparative analysis; Construction; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Design; Epidemics; Green buildings; Green design; Green development; High rise buildings; Housing; human health and well-being; Infectious diseases; Pandemics; post-COVID-19 pandemic era; Real property; Residential areas; residential design; Simulation analysis; Simulation methods; Skyscrapers; Social factors; Sustainable design; Sustainable development; Tall buildings; Valuation; Viral diseases; Viruses; China
• ISSN: 2075-5309; 2075-5309
• DOI: 10.3390/buildings13122949

The world entered the post-COVID-19 era of coexistence with viruses, but people are still concerned as to whether there will be another virus outbreak in the future. Research on virus defense in the construction field is still underway, and considerable suggestions were proposed. If it seems these suggestions were adopted in many buildings, why is the pandemic still out of control? The main focus of this study is to explore a sustainable design strategy that should be adopted by apartment-style buildings in the post-pandemic era in terms of media, sensory, and action elements, and to analyze the applicability of these measures in specific buildings. The study analyzes cases of high-rise apartment-style buildings and used methods such as simulation analysis, direct observation, and comparative analysis to compare the design measures before and after the pandemic. The study shows that, while these measures mainly affect the environmental and social aspects of sustainability, some aspects of old buildings remain difficult to address. The existing standards of new building design need to be adjusted to make the necessary changes. Through our analysis, we concluded that, although the original green building system provides a good foundation for the adjustment of housing in the post-pandemic era, residential design should provide a more reliable framework for possible future pandemic defense. The study is based on the collation of research conducted by architects and experts, and presented in the relevant literature, and the specific analysis of completed apartment buildings within the context of the pandemic situation. This study provides a direction for apartment buildings to meet the challenges of sustainable development and paves the way for a clearer future in the field of construction building.