Reimagining New York, Health, and Wellness in the Built Environment

*This event is occurring as a live webinar. Registrants will be emailed a link to access the program.*

As members of AIA New York, we recognize that New York City and our communities have reached an inflection point in the progress of the COVID-19 pandemic. We recognize that the time has come, once again, to reimagine the built environment: how it affects our health and wellness, today and long into the future. We propose to expand the AIA New York Unified Task Force into a wide range of working groups in partnership with our fellow professional organizations within the broader AEC industry, stakeholders, and city agencies. By coming together, we can discover what the future of our city will be.

In this webinar we will report to the AIA New York membership and community of past accomplishments and ongoing work of the task force, and also on future plans to advise local and statewide decisionmakers on adaptations to the built environment. 

Task Force Mission:
The overarching umbrella for this new, full-spectrum task force is the engagement of the design community, AEC organizations, and government agencies in an effort to create guidance and understand the complexities surrounding a post-COVID-19 city and state. We recognize that each building type and environmental condition will be affected by COVID-19 and that subsequent environmental hazards similar to this pandemic will create a variety of challenges that can be mitigated in part through updated design and building practices.  

Task Force Topics:
Several building type-specific task groups will examine the intricacies of existing structures and elements relevant to the health and well-being of the occupants, as follows:  

• Space and use planning, air quality and exchange for each building and occupancy type 
• Use of materials in the built environment as a mitigating factor for spread and containment of future viruses  
• Protocols during construction as well as end of construction 
• Compound effects of multiple hazards that occur during future outbreaks to identify vulnerabilities and consequences, including extreme heat, storms, the location of the most vulnerable populations, etc.  
• Policy and existing programs addressing how to build, how to fund, and how to practice  
• Innovations in production of the built environment to reimagine our communities  
• The intersection of climate change issues with those of public health 
• Lessons Learned – led by Jim Crispino and Elizabeth Sullivan, co-chairs of the AIANY Design for Health Committee

Speakers:
Illya Azaroff, AIA, Associate Professor, NYC College of Technology; Founder, +LAB Architect PLLC; Co-chair, AIANY Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee
Gretchen Bank, Assoc. AIA, Principal, Bank on Bank Consulting, Co-chair, AIANY Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee
Elizabeth Sullivan, Assoc. AIA, Co-chair, AIANY Design for Health Committee
James Crispino, AIA, Director of Health and Wellness, Gensler; Co-chair, AIANY Design for Health Committee