London on Lockdown - 2 Months In

2 months of isolation and how are you now?

Here we go again… It appears that lots of things are changing now and some restrictions could be easing up.

It’s been near enough 2 months of government restrictions and it’s safe to say that there is a pretty big divide between the people that love being at home and others that can’t wait to get back to the office.

Obviously the rate of infection has gradually been decreasing, otherwise we wouldn’t now be being told that we can socially distance meet another person in the park however how long will that last.

I feel like the issue is so many of us are all or nothing people - and with the announcements continuously being pretty vague/middle ground I don’t think people are going to stick with the 2m distance.

As we see South Korea starting to open schools with quick fire protocol to re-close them again if a second wave was to hit it is definitely time for the UK to start to focus on what we can implement within our means to improve how we navigate through shops, restaurants and the workplace.

A lot of design agencies are already researching into this - especially when it comes to the workplace. Weston Williamson + Partners are one of the many studios that have started doing this - Their Dezeen article can be seen here…

Western Williamson + Partners (Source: Dezeen)

Not only do they consider the office itself but the entire journey that will have to be made by each person to complete their working day.

This includes:

• Commuting

  • Less people coming into the office and more working from home as an option

  • More people cycling/walking

  • How shared transport modes (e.g. bikes/electric scooters) would work

  • How to navigate public transport

• Entering the office space

  • Cleaning stations

• Common Areas (e.g. Kitchen/Dining/Lounge/WCs)

• Personal Desk Space or Hot Desking

  • Dividers between desks

  • Middle desk not in use?

• Going out to get lunch

  • Takeaway vs. Eat-in (eventually?!)

• Commuting home

• Meeting friends/family

• Going to the gym

All everyday simple things that eventually everyone will have to consider completing in a completely different way. But all for the sake of ourselves and our vulnerable.

So I guess for now we just ‘Stay Alert’… Let me know what you’d like to see change in the city for the near future… Less cars and more pedestrianised green streets maybe?