Program
Online Symposium
Day 1 | Friday, October 27
Note: time is Toronto EDT / UTC -4
2:00pm | Welcome & Introduction
Lois Weinthal
2:15pm-3:45pm | Session 1
Speakers
Shelly L. Miller
David N. Fisman
Moderator / Q&A
Valerie Gow
Session Description
Everyday indoor activities came to a halt at the start of the pandemic, such as attending school, work, and communal events as knowledge of viral transmission came to the foreground. Through a case study of an indoor super spreader event, and through the lens of epidemiology, this session will convey how viral transmission can quickly spread across communities, along with steps that can be taken, from the individual to the community, to mitigate transmission.
3:45pm-5:15pm | Session 2
Speakers
Kimberly Prather
Gabriel Gianordoli
Moderator / Q&A
Alice Huang
Session Description
The recommended six-foot distance around individuals marked by bubbles, signage, and markings on floor and ground surfaces during Covid-19 did not convey how far infectious droplets could really travel through coughing, sneezing, talking and breathing. This session focuses on understanding the difference in particle sizes and units of measurement when viral droplets become aerosolized, and how visualization can inform and guide interior designers to integrate these units of measurements in developing solutions for healthy interiors.
5:15pm | Conclusion
Lois Weinthal
Day 2 | Saturday, October 28
Note: time is Toronto EDT / UTC -4
9:00am | Welcome & Introduction
Lois Weinthal
9:15am-10:45am | Session 3
Speakers
Yuguo Li
Sally F. Bloomfield
Moderator / Q&A
Dyonne Fashina
Session Description
The pandemic made evident the need to place greater emphasis on indoor air quality and to understand viral transmission through air and via hand and touch surfaces. This session will use microbiological and case studies to share theoretical underpinnings of viral transmission, which should also be considered in the context of yearly cold, flu and norovirus seasons. It will also examine the ways in the design and construction of, and operation in, occupied settings can do much to mitigate risks of person to person infection transmission, and facilitate human hygiene behaviours that also reduce the risk.
10:45am-12:15pm | Session 4
Speakers
Andrea R. Ferro
Janine Glaeser
Moderator / Q&A
Pooja Ramaswamy
Session Description
Indoor environments are designed to support work, life, education, amongst many program types which were shut down in the pandemic. Upon re-opening, guidelines were developed to implement safety protocols, yet yearly cold and flu seasons require similar attention. This session looks at scenarios whereby infectious particles can be transmitted in indoor environments through air and surfaces, and how interior designers can develop a guide specific to interiors for mitigating viral transmission.
12:15pm-1:00pm | Break
1:00pm-2:30pm | Session 5
Speakers
Burçin Becerik-Gerber
Jeffrey Siegel
Moderator / Q&A
Chen Cohen
Session Description
The pandemic changed the way we live and work. This session looks at interior design from the perspective of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) to understand user centered design and healthy spaces that support well-being and productivity in workspaces. A subset of IEQ, indoor air quality (IAQ), although invisible to the eye has potentially dramatic impacts, both good and bad, about air in the spaces we occupy.
2:30pm-4:00pm | Session 6
Speakers
Amanda Wilson
Yuliya Parshina-Kottas
Moderator / Q&A
Lois Weinthal
Session Description
The global spread of COVID-19 was reported daily across news media, informing the public of how quickly the virus was spreading as case numbers surged and waned over time. Within the global view, visual journalism bridged science and story-telling to inform steps that an individual could take to protect from infection. This session emphasizes an understanding of individual risks, human behavior, air and fomite exposure, and viral tracking to inform steps that can be taken to help mitigate viral transmission.
4:00pm | Concluding Remarks
Lois Weinthal
In-person Workshop | Sunday, October 29
The workshop brings together students, faculty and practitioners to solve hypothetical interior design problems that integrate knowledge from the symposium presentations. The results will be used to develop a manual with guidelines that integrate tools and outcomes from the symposium to equip interior designers with strategies for mitigating viral transmission in the interior, resulting in health and societal benefits.
The anticipated manual and guidelines with best practices will be especially beneficial for designers working on projects that have high occupancy numbers such as those in education, workplace, healthcare, places of leisure, and recreational facilities.
9am–9:30am | Coffee/tea & light breakfast
9:30am-10am | Introduction to the design charette
10am-12pm | Teams begin design charrette
12pm-1pm | Informal findings, sharing, & questions
1pm-2pm | Lunch Break
2pm-4pm | Design charette continues
4pm-5pm | Team presentations
5pm-6pm | Reception & celebration