The Pandemic May Change Architecture, but Fabric Structures Can Help
December 17, 2020
COVID-19 has changed just about every aspect of our daily lives, especially in cities and other crowded areas. As the Los Angeles Times pointed out in their piece “Past Pandemics Changed the Design of Cities. Six Ways COVID-19 Could Do the Same,” COVID-19 has the potential to change the architecture of our cities and buildings towards socially distanced, airy spaces, and fabric structures can deliver just that.
The article identified three COVID-induced changes made to urban design that lend themselves to fabric structures.
- Modular construction—The main advantage of these prefabricated modular buildings is that they are quickly constructed to meet the demands of the pandemic. Fabric structures have a much quicker construction timeline than traditional buildings, so they can be used to meet this demand as well.
- Adaptive reuse—Recommendations and regulations surrounding COVID-19 are constantly changing and evolving, so versatile and adaptable structures that can serve multiple purposes are an asset during the pandemic. Fabric structures can be used for a variety of applications, and can be expanded upon, customized and moved as needs change.
- Lightweight architecture—Fabric structures are significantly lighter in weight than traditional buildings, and have historically been used for disaster relief, as they can be quickly constructed and easily transported. Fabric structures can be used to quickly create emergency facilities, like field hospitals and drive through testing sites and can even serve as extensions to emergency rooms or waiting rooms.
The clear span design of ClearSpan’s fabric structures optimizes any space for social distancing, and the speed of construction ensures a structure can be built as soon as it is needed. Increased ventilation and the natural airflow the design of the structure provides are both of paramount importance during this pandemic. Fabric structures can be used as shelters, drive through testing centers, outdoor classrooms, emergency facilities and more, and they can be customized, expanded and altered to meet the ever-changing needs of the pandemic.
Fabric structures are the perfect solution to the architectural problems of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the need for emergency facilities and social distancing on the rise, fabric structures are a cost-effective, quickly constructed and customizable solution to the problems that have arisen due to COVID-19.