IDG Designs for COVID-19 Impact /  by IDG

 

We don’t know how long it will take before social distancing is unnecessary, especially in healthcare environments. This makes it critical to act now to anticipate upcoming needs.  How do we protect vulnerable populations and how do we protect essential staff, while at the same time making new spaces viable over the long-term? We’ve started working with our clients to produce solutions that will encourage social distancing now and allow adaptability later without compromising design. Furniture solutions allow flexibility in both short- and long-term scenarios. 

“How do we protect vulnerable populations and how do we protect essential staff, while at the same time making new spaces viable over the long-term?”
 
 
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Finding solutions through furniture…

 
 

Adapting from established furniture solutions, we’ve been working with NYU Langone Health on modifications to their Chelsea Medical Group in Manhattan. We asked the question: How do we afford patients, visitors, and staff alike equal protection? And how do we do that without fundamentally changing the architecture? Reducing the clinical volume in the long term would be problematic, making a flexible strategy necessary. We had started with a viable design pre-pandemic, and rapidly reevaluated it. Recognizing a pandemic is a short-term problem as compared to the lifetime of the space, it was paramount to incorporate what was necessary now to treat patients, and what is necessary later to maintain a viable business model.

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Preserving productivity and workflow…

 
 

We first looked at workflow, noting adequate staffing was more critical than ever to the successful functioning of the practice. Making sure they were protected from each other, we made continuous run desking to maximize flexibility and allow 6-foot spacing now, while still allowing more staff to be fit in in the future. Then, we added removable counter-mounted screens between the stations. This will ensure in their workspaces, when PPE may not be a viable option, they have physical barriers in addition to sufficient spacing for increased protection.

In the waiting area a different approach was needed. We realized abandoning dense tandem seating altogether would prove problematic over the long term, so instead we opted to modify it, replacing intermediate seats with ganged tables, never having more than one or two seats together for patients who required a caregiver. This strategy would allow the density to be increased in the future without replacing the entirety of the seating, and still making it challenging for patients or staff to reconfigure on a whim. We applied the same concept to the banquette along the focal wall, introducing tables that could be replaced with additional seats in the future.

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Collaboration with Kimball…

Perhaps the highlight, is our collaboration with Kimball to combine Pairings Nook and Pairings Health, and with some modification make it into a healthcare and social distancing appropriate product. Visibility was paramount, and it was necessary for the reception desk to be able to see every person in the waiting area. Sight-lines were carefully considered, and decorative glazed panels were introduced. Since pairings is modular, with just a few new parts a nook can transform into an open lounge piece, saving money over the long term.

Kimball - Pairings Kimball - Pairings Nook Kimball - Pairings Nook - COVID-19

Kimball - Pairings Kimball - Pairings Nook Kimball - Pairings Nook - COVID-19

 

Fostering Collaboration through Remote Work /  by IDG

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In mid-March, due to the rising cases of the COVID-19 virus and for precautionary reasons, Integrated Design Group made the decision to start working remotely. As weeks have gone by, we've closely monitored the continuing developments regarding what has become a worldwide pandemic.

With activated contingency plans enabled, we've been able to continue business as usual with each other and our clients from the safe comforts of our homes. Little did we know that we would be working from home for as long as we have, we've managed to keep pushing.

With Healthcare being one of our largest industries for jobs, we've been fortunate to still have a steady flow of work to keep us busy and continue to be awarded new projects.

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But what has the team been up to?

With many of us adjusting to a work from home atmosphere, many of us are trying to find different ways to keep as productive as we were when we still had to go to the office. Ryan (pictured above) said, “Having your office steps away from your desk is good at first, but it starts to get stressful fast, especially when you are eating, sleeping, and working from the same area. Seems like the world is going crazy when you’re trapped in the same room for practically the whole day, sitting on the same seat for 16 hours. I try changing my outfit, change my surroundings, change my background music - just to change a bit of perspective.”

A few team members noted that since we’ve been working from home, they've had to adjust or find ways to be as active as pre-quarantine. Charlotte said one of the things she's been making a conscious effort with is moving more. "In the office, I was able get up and take a quick lap around the floor. Now working from home, it has become a bit more of a challenge to take a creative break. Since our job is mostly sedentary, I now have a set time to get up, stretch and walk, even though, it's mostly to the kitchen."

Greg said, "Working from home has been such a bitter sweet experience. I miss going in to work and experiencing the hustle and bustle of the city; the commute, the taxis, the sirens, the sound of a jackhammer right outside of the office. It kept me energized. However, since working from home, I finally have the time to complete my first full length album that I hope to release early in the summer. It has been a work in progress for about a year now, sometimes taking months to lay down tracks for a single song. But quarantine has left me without much else to do. I finally have the concentration and the time I need to finish writing, recording, mastering, and creating the album art for what I hope to be one of many future works. "

“Food is better because homemade food can be eaten fresh and on an actual plate.”
— Ryan, Jr Architect

This shelter in place order has definitely sparked the fire in cooking and baking as well - IDG team included. From breakfast dishes, lunch meals, dinners, and even baked goods, IDG did not shy away from exploring their skills in the kitchen no matter what skill level they were at. "Prior to COVID-19, I was not confident in my cooking skills. Often a running joke in my family, I was always the last person to go to for cooking advise. Quarantine has given me the opportunity to learn and improve my cooking skills without judgement from back-seat chefs looking over my shoulder. I started a cook-off challenge in my family group chat, posting photos of our recipes and meals to the group chat and we would vote on the daily winner. I was able to One: Prove to my family that I can in fact, cook and Two: it forces my other brothers to participate and overall it calms my parents' stress knowing everyone is eating properly and taking care of themselves," Chris said.

Dan, IDG’s Interior Design Leader, and Charlotte, Jr. Architect, have had little green thumbs during this time, tending to new gardening skills and taking care of plants.

“I’m about to closely take care and revive my one bamboo plant. Proud plant mom moment,” Charlotte mentioned.

With Dan’s green thumb, he noted, “Growing vegetables seemed daunting at first. Dealing with seeds was easier than I expected. Now that they are old enough to go outside, making that transition is more of a challenge.”

Aside from side hobbies, we’ve all experienced how being outside has definitely shifted. Doing something little like walking outside or going grocery shopping has shown to be more of an adventure than it used to be.

“I’ve been making adventures out of everyday tasks, like going to the grocery store. Instead of going to my local store, I walk to Whole Foods. It’s twice as far, but I detour and walk along the waterfront for a bit, and on the walk home, I walk through the revitalized warehouse district, which is now higher end stores (that are all closed) but it’s fun to stop and look in their windows, “ Dan shared.

For Nandan, who stepped out to go grocery shopping three weeks after the quarantine started, he shared, “I stepped out to do some grocery shopping at Key Foods almost 3 weeks into quarantine. The shopping experience was much more different from my last grocery shopping before the quarantine started. I saw face masks, gloves, 6FT distance, and fear in people’s eyes. Despite this difference, I managed to find everything I needed. All shelves were stocked up so that’s good. Also, I realized that people are still going out and do their regular routines; it feels like nothing changed for a few people. “

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Bill, our 3D printer project man of the team, when not enjoying the view from Jersey City of the city, has been enjoying time working on things on his 3D printer like a soap dish:

With that said, I hope everyone is continuing to stay safe and stay strong! We'll get through this.