Perspective Chapter: Guidelines to Cope with Challenging Problems Facing the Building Construction Industry Due COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis

Abstract

This chapter is prepared in line with the Kingdom University—Bahrain, Ideas for Research Ideas for Research concerning challenges facing the building industry with emphasis on the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The outline thoughts suggested here are comprehensive and integrated to handle building engineering, construction, environmental, technology, building rules and regulations (i.e. of Bahrain as an example), and other related components that are impacted by the COVID-19. The authors assume three hypotheses in this chapter. First, there is a need to create a set of architectural and building guidelines to help concerned university students to overcome difficulties with regard to various design issues and problems imposed by COVID-19 and/or similar future pandemics as possibilities of their outbreak will continue. Secondly, Building Rules and Regulations need to include guideline clauses on pandemic control. Thirdly, architecture and building engineering can play a vital role in infection prevention and controlling the spread of pandemics within buildings and the surrounding environments. To investigate the hypotheses, literature review and qualitative descriptive method were essential investigation methodologies. The key findings concerning the eight main established categories of the guidelines revealed significantly a number of effective architectural, building engineering, environmental and other related elements to combat COVID-19 and other similar future pandemic crises.

1. Introduction

This chapter discusses a new subject to a certain extent, so there is little previous knowledge and information published on the subject, and it has evolved recently at the end of 2019 and is still spreading all over the world with variant virus development and known as the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, later, when associated problems and subsequent issues became clearer to some extent, more research studies and literature were published. It has a severe impact all over the world on social, economic, environmental, way of thinking, behavioral and lifestyle. This demanded a new integrated approach on emergency architecture design and other related design inputs (i.e., interior design, urban, biophilic, environmental, sustainability, and engineering) to produce buildings and environments that are safe to occupy and use during this pandemic and for future similar cases. This necessitates us to establish a source of information in a suitable form to help and guide concerned university students, in particular architecture and other related disciplines in addition to interested professionals. The most current information reviewed to prepare this chapter has been published recently by renowned institutes and research journals, in addition to data that were published by the World Health Organization (WHO) concerning the subject. Although the available information is limited due to the crisis and the challenge being recent, the collected information is very important and valid, on the basis of which useful guidelines can be established as many dedicated specialized teams of varying professional disciplines contributed with their trusted knowledge and experience. As per the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) statement, the multidisciplinary team involved in collaborating and contributing to reducing the risk of COVID-19 includes professionals of architects, interior designers, landscape architects, engineers (i.e., mechanical, electrical, structural, civil, and maintenance engineers), public health and clinical experts, healthcare workers, information technology (IT) specialists, and community managers [1, 2]. The teams are expected to develop strategies based on emerging science and technologies, professional experience, data on infectious diseases, epidemiological models, and research studies to reduce the risk and consequences of any pandemic within buildings’ environment and outside [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. Even though the Kingdom of Bahrain’s experience to handle the risk of the pandemic referred to was deemed to be appropriate and useful, the expected findings of solutions and suggestions can be applied to buildings and environments elsewhere in other geographical regions, as the COVID-19 pandemic is of a global nature due to its ease of spreading fast all over the world, which necessitates solutions and guidelines that can be applied globally, similar to the various medical vaccinations developed in few countries to combat COVID-19 but can be applied globally.

2. Research objectives

This research has three objectives: first, to gather and present, as far as possible, information and data that can be classified, tabulated, and used for setting up comprehensive and integrated guidelines to address, solve, handle, cope with, minimize, and mitigate the effect of problems facing the building construction industry that are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis; secondly, to present to the concerned university students (i.e., architecture and related engineering disciplines), design teams, and educators an outline of systematic guidelines that can be helpful for educational purposes in their design, study, and teaching, in addition to their consideration by other professionals for projects and business; thirdly, to suggest to the policy-makers proposals to be included in the Building Rules and Regulations to control and eliminate the spread of pandemics through architecture practical scientific solutions to ensure health buildings and environment. To achieve the three abovementioned objectives, it is important to thoroughly investigate new architectural approaches and movements and to review and rethink distinct concepts, procedures, building regulations, and standards to overcome the challenges [9, 10].

3. Research hypotheses

To establish and formulate the motivation and hypotheses, it is necessary to understand how to transform COVID-19 and any future pandemic challenges that may break out any time into learning potentials within architectural, engineering, and environment education through online education workshops, studies, and feedback and applying the lessons learned from the similar past pandemics that led to better design solutions [11, 12, 13]. Moreover, in order to achieve adequate design solutions for healthy and more flexible buildings, it is important to establish a set of guidelines to help concerned university students, design teams, and educators on how spaces are designed and shaped and how people using these spaces will interact and behave with the aim of supporting the control and elimination of pandemic risks.

The authors assume three hypotheses, which will be subjected to investigation in this chapter. First, there is a need to create a set of architectural and building guidelines to help concerned university students (i.e., architecture and related engineering disciplines) and support them to overcome difficulties with regard to various design issues and problems as impacted by COVID-19 and/or future similar pandemics as possibilities to their outbreak will continue to occur [3, 10, 14]. Secondly, Building Rules and Regulations need to include guideline clauses on pandemic control within buildings and surrounding environments (i.e., BENAYAT (Building Permit Portal) - Unified Guidebook of Building Permit Regulations – Kingdom of Bahrain – First Edition 2018) [9, 15]. Thirdly, architecture and building engineering can play a vital role in infection prevention and controlling the spread of pandemics within buildings and surrounding environments [5, 16, 17]. The above three hypotheses will take into consideration all or part of the followings categories as deemed appropriate:

• Architectural design

• Biophilic design

• Building engineering services and equipment

• Site work and construction

• Other priorities, policies, and controls

• Technology (building and engineering)

• Building rules and regulations (i.e., BENAYAT)

• Sustainable building standards and criteria

4. Data collection and method of investigation

4.1 Data collection

The data that were collected for the purpose of this research chapter are of two types: the first concentrates on the health and medical aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic itself, while the second type of data concentrates on architectural, engineering, biophilic, and building technology aspects to control and reduce/eliminate the risk of COVID-19 pandemic. This research relied on available literature, online interviews, and interactions with architectural and building consultants and healthcare authorities. Literature review was an essential action in the process to start exploring prior research, published works on the role of architecture in the built environment to combat COVID-19 or a similar pandemic. Therefore, Internet and library research were conducted; institutes and interested parties were approached for their assistance and contributions.

4.1.1 Summary of the first type of data concerning Covid-19

4.1.1.1 Source of information and data

WHO [18, 19] and other concerned authorities [i.e., Ministry of Health and the National Medical Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus (COVID-19) – the Kingdom of Bahrain] [20].

4.1.1.2 Format for data collection and regular data reports issued

There are various online templates for data collection and the resulting subsequent reports to be issued based on the data collected by the abovementioned sources of information and data.

4.1.1.3 Nature of the virus and methods of transmission

Current research demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 virus is spread through person-to-person and person-to-surface-to-person. The primary mode of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and similar coronaviruses is through aerosols emitted into the air through an infected person during not only coughing but also talking and breathing, in particular during physical exercise. The duration of the suspension of the aerosol, which can range from 0.5 to 3 hours, is subject to droplet size and humidity of the ambient air. The dispersal range of these aerosols is governed by a combination of droplet size, airflow, and humidity. Research to establish the survival of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a variety of conditions indicates that it may remain viable for hours to days on different surfaces [2].

4.1.1.4 Precautions and avoidance

Clean the hands often. Use soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. Get vaccinated when it’s your turn. Follow local guidance on vaccination. Cover your nose and mouth with your bent elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention from a healthcare provider. Properly fitted masks can help prevent the spread of the virus to others. This needs to be combined with physical distancing.

4.1.1.5 First type of information

This is important and necessary to determine measures required to be taken in the absence of definite and adequate medical treatment, in addition to eliminating and preventing transmission of the viruses and their subsequent pandemics through architectural, engineering, and technological solutions [5, 21].

4.1.2 Summary of the second type of data concerning Covid-19

4.1.2.1 Development and improvements

This includes architectural, engineering, biophilic, building technology, urban, and environmental aspects to control and eliminate the risk of COVID-19 pandemic as provided on websites by professional institutes, universities, and research centers; government-concerned establishments; related architectural, building engineering, urban, and environmental consultants; and researchers in the field.

4.1.2.2 Categorization of the second type of data

This can be categorized as follows: before the start of COVID-19, and during and after it. This is necessary for the sake of comparisons and drawing relationship solutions to provide safe and healthy buildings and environment.

4.1.2.3 Information provided by the second type of data

This includes architecture design standards, guidelines, and procedures for various building types [22, 23, 24, 25], biophilic design patterns and guidelines [26, 27, 28], Building Rules and Regulations [15], LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) – USA, Certification Guidebook – 2008 [29], and BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method), UK New Construction 2018 [9, 30, 31].

4.1.2.4 Second type of data for which the literature were reviewed

This covers strategies for healthier and safer buildings of many types (i.e., offices, schools, hospitals, community centers, retail stores, houses and residences, mosques and religious halls, and restaurants), in addition to data covering their sub-contents and spaces [7, 8, 22, 25].

The reviewed literature [26, 27, 32] contained an emerging new set of design principles and practices where nature needs to play a bigger part called “biophilic design,” in addition to revealing that designers, planners, urban authorities, and political decision makers can no longer neglect the value of biophilic architecture. Therefore, it is anticipated that integrating sustainable architectural design including landscape architecture with biophilic design features will increase effective design elements and serve as a guide for the constructed environments that are healthy and support life quality during pandemics.

The second type of information and data are important and necessary due to the following:

1. Identify available architectural, building engineering, urban, biophilic, and environmental solutions to control the risk of COVID-19 and combat similar expected pandemics.

2. Help in filling the gap by revealing potential new approaches and solutions to prevent and control epidemics and play a vital role in the human health and well-being.

3. Innovations and new technologies specifically in the architectural, biophilic, and building engineering fields (i.e., building artificial intelligence) [33, 34, 35] were achieved and discovered during the COVID-19 period and implemented with positive and significant results.

4.2 Data description and their uses

The co-authors concentrated in reviewing articles and research materials that contained information and data on the first and second types and were published by well-recognized international sources. The lessons learned within the reviewed articles are of great significance in the formulation the guidelines being experienced before [12, 36]. In this context, the information and data that were reviewed are characterized with attributes that are useful to formulate and establish architectural and building engineering guidelines. In addition, these constitute the initiatives for strategies for healthier and safer buildings of varying types. Therefore, such type of information and data and the subsequent guidelines formulated are expected to provide suitable and adequate solutions to the following: rethinking building designs and modifications to existing building before being reoccupied during and after COVID-19; new building, urban, and interior project designs; specification; updating Building Rules and Regulations; improving the conditions of the contracts; building maintenance works; and updating criteria for sustainable, green, wellness, environmental, and energy development in view of the pandemic.

4.3 Method of investigation

To investigate the hypotheses under the item Motivation and Hypotheses, the reviewed literature covering both types of data to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by adopting architectural tools and approaches in addition to medical and health means are identified and then classified under eight main categories to be finally summarized into valid guidelines and recommendations. Their validity for being useful, adoptable, and recommended guidelines for various purposes come as a result of the following:

1. Being prior experienced through the history of similar pandemic examples and become an intuitive knowing [9, 31].

2. Solutions from lessons learned during this COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., published in many reviewed research articles [11, 12, 13], theses [9], and reports [1, 6] and solutions from strategies initiated to combat COVID-19 and similar pandemics, published during this COVID-19 pandemic [2, 6, 37].

3. Outcome of new innovative technologies during this COVID-19 pandemic [38, 39, 40].

4. Outcome of research comparison between what was existing before COVID-19 pandemic and after it with regard to architectural, biophilic, and building engineering guidelines [27, 41]; standard manuals [42]; government building rules and regulations [9, 15]; and environmental [39, 43] and sustainability criteria [30, 31, 44, 45].

5. Being selective for the source of research articles and reports that include authentic information and data. Such sources are well-recognized international institutes and publishers (i.e., AIA [1], RIBA [46], ASHRAE [47], RICS [48], and other journals and periodicals [32]) to ensure the quality of the outputs.

4.3.1 Descriptive qualitative method

The method used to research the hypotheses stated in this study is the descriptive qualitative method [49, 50, 51], and it is developed and applied carefully to ensure that the resulting outputs in terms of guidelines and other suggestions are valid and reliable. This method involved a rich collection of data from various mentioned sources.

5. Analysis and discussion

By adopting the qualitative descriptive method through exploring, identifying, and understanding the broad collective challenges to combat COVID-19 and other similar pandemics, it appears that there is an evident significant relationship between the application and the implementation within the majority of the literature reviewed from, on the one hand, covering the following: initiative strategies [2, 6, 37]; guidelines [25, 46]; criteria [29, 30]; lessons learned [3, 36]; proposals concerning architecture [28], building components [2, 6, 37, 52], biophilic design [26, 27, 28], urbanization [13], environment [39, 43], and sustainability [9, 44]; and minimizing the spread of COVID-19 and combating the pandemic, on the other hand. This significant relationship leads to a strong belief that on these bases, valid guidelines covering most of these areas can be set up in a systematic way for various uses and can be easily referred to by concerned university students and other professionals, in addition to other standard manuals and guideline references published before the COVID-19 pandemic and/or updated later.

Furthermore, by adopting the descriptive qualitative approach, the authors examined through a practitioner’s lens of open-ended inquiry on key titles, expressions, and terminologies that they observed frequently in their literature review, such as: health-engaged architecture and urbanism solutions [31]; virus transmission and urban density [53, 54, 55]; leveraging buildings to mitigate viral transmission [56]; use of balconies in apartments during COVID-19 pandemic [57]; critical review of biophilic design in architecture and its contributions to health, well-being, and sustainability [26]; review of the rationale and outcomes of biophilic architecture [32]; participation of biophilic design in the design of the post-pandemic living space [58]; artificial intelligence and COVID-19 [33]; behavioral architecture approach to the concept of housing for the face of the pandemic [59]; design during a pandemic and application of the WELL building standard [60]; COVID-19 and construction: early lessons for a new normal [16]; urban design attributes and resilience: COVID-19 evidence from New York City [61]; emergency architecture: modular construction of healthcare facilities as a response to pandemic outbreak [62]; rethinking building design during COVID-19: spacing, foot traffic, and high-touch surfaces, which are common issues to safely reopening workplaces, schools, and government buildings in the COVID-19 environment [6, 37]; strategies for safer buildings [2, 37]; schools and educational buildings [63, 64, 65, 66, 67]; senior living communities [68]; retail stores [69]; polling places [70]; risk management plan for buildings [6]; and core recommendations for reducing airborne infectious aerosol exposure [71, 72].

These reviewed detailed guidelines, solutions, and other related items are identified, sorted out, categorized, classified, and finally summarized in an organized set of architectural and building engineering guidelines and recommendations for a healthy building and environment that ensure health and safety to occupants, residents, and users, not only in the Kingdom of Bahrain but also in other regions all over the world.

The co-authors observed that a number of reviewed architecture design manuals have been recently updated after COVID-19 to include items concerning combating and controlling the COVID-19 pandemic either directly or indirectly [42, 73, 74, 75].

The reviewed literature revealed the possibility that architects and the built environment engineers and concerned professionals can create healthy buildings and improve the environment to minimize and eliminate the risk of pandemics by making smart choices and decisions about the surfaces, components, systems, and other related items that are to be chosen, detailed, and included in their projects.

6. Building design and controls priorities

To protect and safeguard the residents and users of the buildings and the surrounding environment during a pandemic and afterward in future buildings, we need to establish building design and controls priorities [8].

The inputs to the building design and controls priorities by different team members depend on the requirements of each priority, where the following five priorities were established:

• First: Elimination (eliminate the transmission of COVID-19)

• Second: Substitution with less risk (there is no available substitution for COVID-19; thus, the control measure is not applicable here)

• Third: Architectural and engineering controls

• Fourth: Administrative actions and controls

• Fifth: Personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent certain exposures

The authors will concentrate on the third priority concerning “architectural and engineering controls,” where guidelines will be outlined in detail in this chapter, as they are the main theme of the research here. This will give concerned architecture and engineering university students, educators, and interested professionals the opportunity to utilize these guidelines and thoughts for educational, professional, and business purposes and requirements.

7. Findings in preparation to formulate proposed guidelines

The guidelines here cover the third priority, architectural and engineering controls, for the use and application by architecture and engineering university students, educators, and interested professionals.

The compiled and proposed guidelines are the outcome of the reviewed work of an intensive work by multidisciplinary teams of various professionals, including architects and engineers.

8. Guidelines for architectural and engineering controls

8.1 Architectural design

8.1.1 Functional programming and design brief

1. Create, adapt, or modify space to contribute to public health goals [2, 6, 8, 26, 27, 28, 38, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 76]:

   • Create and utilize large spaces (i.e., gymnasium) as flexible interiors that help in maintaining physical distancing for instructions and other traditional activities while keeping other physical and similar activities outdoors. This will reduce quarantine fatigue due to the pandemic.

   • Create adequate number of ad hoc spaces for package storage overflow.

2. Allocate recreational facilities indoors and outdoors that enhance mental health and well-being.

3. Allocate space and expansive landscape for outdoor functions, and provide outdoor seating and space to supplement indoor areas.

4. Create interior spaces that allow residents to self-isolate, even from those they live with.

5. Provide space to accommodate two meters’ spacing, utilize moveable partitions, remove furniture where necessary, and maintain such distance between multiple checkout stands of cash registers rather than roping off or marking furniture with an “x”.

6. Provide foot traffic and ground signage markings that identify key spatial risk points, and utilize layouts to provide one-directional circulation paths to reduce face-to-face contact and non-pass through zones.

7. Provide outdoor spaces, covered shelters, walkways, canopies, and parking areas in a systematic order as a waiting area to avoid congestion and to support queuing during inclement weather.

8. Allocate a supervised quarantine area for symptomatic persons and others (i.e., students).

9. Provide multiple separate entry points during arrivals and departures while maintaining a secure perimeter.

8.1.2 Space planning

The COVID-19 pandemic imposes new design approaches to help in meeting space-planning requirements for various types of buildings; therefore, spaces can be purposefully designed and detailed to assist in the prevention, containment, and treatment of infectious disease, including COVID-19 [1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 26, 27, 28, 38, 57, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 76, 77].

Guidelines to overcome the challenges and reduce risk may include the following:

1. Limit and reduce the number of occupants and users on the basis of area in order to adhere to physical distancing guidelines and space accommodation.

2. Minimize the amount of equipment or relocate it to create more available space that can be used safely.

3. Provide and maintain a minimum of two meters’ spacing between plumbing fixtures at restroom and toilet facilities.

4. Provide an adequate number of touchless trashcans near entrances, doors, PPE stations, restrooms, and other similar locations.

5. Provide one-way circulation flow in common areas, multiuse halls, sizeable areas, and entry and exit points.

6. Allocate separate entrances and exits in restrooms and toilet facilities to eliminate waiting and avoid face-to-face contact.

7. Provide adequate expanded interior and exterior queuing zones to enhance physical distancing with ground markings and signage.

8. Allocate suitable ride and drop-off stops at vehicles parking areas for loading and unloading passengers safely (i.e., students) and maintaining physical distancing as per guidelines.

9. Provide a number of large storage areas including larger refrigerators for various commodities.

10. Allocate changing rooms at entryways as transitional areas, to be equipped with shelves, hanging hooks, and a washbasin with touchless controls and soap dispenser to facilitate disinfection.

11. Create large balconies and patios to increase open-air living spaces.

12. Create rooms that allow ample fresh air to circulate and are large enough to accommodate people and furniture while maintaining social distancing, and/or create smaller rooms to accommodate limited number of people at any time.

8.1.3 Partitions and openings

1. Allocate separate entrance and exit to avoid face-to-face contact (i.e., schools) [2, 5, 37, 40, 56, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 71, 77].

2. Provide touchless entry systems by using doors and related hardware that have touchless entry and access technology.

3. Keep partitions and openings in such a way to allow direct sunlight and fresh air circulation where possible.

4. Provide cleanable partitions between worktables or office systems to minimize risk without affecting continuous ventilation or fire systems.

8.1.4 Finishes and furnishings

Laboratory tests and experiments showed that COVID-19 virus appears to be more stable on smooth surfaces, while it is less stable on paper and copper. This will help in giving guidance to what materials may be selected and how to handle and treat them to reduce their risk in the pandemic environment [2, 5, 8, 11, 40, 78, 79].

Guidelines may include the following:

1. Specify transparent partitions or sneeze guards as physical barriers.

   • Utilize classroom furniture other than students’ desks as low partition barriers to create separate isolated zones in the classrooms.

   • Consider providing movable partitions to subdivide large working areas.

2. Specify adequate acoustical treatment to overcome difficulties in sound transmission and resulting hearing problems due to the use of masks.

3. Provide floor to ceiling partitions in restrooms and toilets where fire safety and ventilation are not an issue to avoid infectivity.

4. Utilize touchless technologies and easily cleanable finishing materials, with transparent films over surfaces such as elevator buttons and electrical switches.

8.1.5 Signage

1. Use signage, communication boards, and digital screens with voice-activated feature (i.e., to help those with visual difficulties) inside and outside the building showing clear instructions to be adhered to by building users to protect public health and reduce risks [2, 6, 8].

2. Provide floor-marking signage to maintain recommended spacing between users inside and outside the building and also to help one-way circulation.

3. Provide clear and prominent signage that toilet lids should be closed before flushing and hands should be washed before leaving the toilet.

9. Biophilic design guidelines

An area that is believed to be important to be included within the proposed guidelines in this study is the biophilic design elements and features due to their positive impact on minimizing the risk of COVID-19 and other similar pandemics through their effect on supporting human beings’ physical and mental health [26, 27, 41]. Accordingly, biophilic design uses nature as a design element and a guide for the constructed environments that are healthy and support life quality during the COVID-19 process [26]. One of the reviewed research studies indicates that outdoor biophilic features facilitate the recovery of tension and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mood, whereas indoor biophilic features facilitate recovery from depression and anger [41].

1. Biophilic Design Guidelines

The following categories can be taken into consideration as guidelines whenever required to suit each case to complement other architectural and engineering guidelines [27]:

Nature in the space: incorporation of plants, water, and animals into the built environment, especially with movement [27]:

1. Visual and non-visual connections with nature

2. Non-rhythmic sensory stimuli

3. Access to thermal and airflow variability

4. Presence of water bodies

5. Various types of dynamic and diffuse lights

6. Connection with various natural systems

Natural analogues: one degree of separation away from true nature; patterns and materials that evoke nature [27]:

1. Biomorphic forms and patterns: organic building forms, structural systems

2. Material connection with nature: organic building forms, structural systems

3. Complexity and order

Nature of the space: the way humans respond psychologically and physiologically to different spatial configurations [27]:

1. Prospect: views, balconies, open floor plans

2. Refuge: protected spaces, overhead canopies

3. Mystery: winding paths, obscured features, flowing forms

4. Risk: floor-to-ceiling windows, water walks, high walkways

10. Building and engineering services and equipment

10.1 Plumbing systems and plumbing fixtures

1. Provide water management [2, 6, 8] systems for buildings, including applications for testing potable water regularly [80].

2. Provide touchless plumbing hardware fixtures (i.e., flush valves, faucets).

3. Provide clear signage with multilingual instructions.

4. Provide a hand-washing/sanitizing station in locations where it is easy to reach (i.e., classrooms, offices, waiting areas).

5. Provide water closet (WC) and similar items with lids.

10.2 Mechanical services

1. Ensure natural ventilations through [2, 6, 8, 17, 81] operable windows in each space where possible, and ventilate toilets separately where possible [71, 77].

2. Include intelligent systems to monitor relative humidity, temperature, and CO2 levels regularly to maintain readings as required, and identify issues and resolve them instantaneously [82].

3. In designing HVAC, requirements assume the maximum number of occupants per HVAC zone [82].

4. Specify HVAC filters, their maintenance and cleaning schedules, and service life replacement cycles as per ASHRAE recommendations [47, 72, 83].

5. Ensure to take measures to minimize the airflow from one person to another in case fans are installed and utilized.

6. Specify ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) in mechanical ventilation paths and ultraviolet C (UVC) during non-occupied hours for sterilization [84, 85].

7. Consider utilizing new technology and innovations to kill the virus and eliminating it through mitigating the transmission of COVID-19 in buildings [39].

10.3 Electrical and communications services

1. Adopt the technology of Internet of Things (IoT) [2, 6, 8, 85, 86] to create touch-free points through radio-frequency identification (RFIDs/key fobs) [40].

2. Specify motion sensor controls or phone-based application controls instead of light switches.

3. Provide voice or mobile phone-actuated elevator controls that allow elevators to pick up from only one floor and go to only one floor to minimize occupant contacts.

4. Enhance and support online conferencing, through related software to facilitate optimal computer-based communications with security protocols and protections.

5. Specify more electrical outlets and Wi-Fi networks inside and outside of buildings to cope with new, increasing requirements.

10.4 Equipment and appliances

1. Provide touchless equipment and appliances wherever possible [2, 6, 8].

2. Provide equipment and items that are frequently touched with easy-to-clean and sanitized materials.

3. Provide dishwashers to clean and sanitize reusable utensils/cookware.

10.5 Site work and construction

1. Plan parking area lanes to accommodate pavement pickup, loading, and unloading [2, 4, 6, 8, 62].

2. Allot large areas for entry queuing to reduce the effect of inclement weather, in addition to covered shelter facilities.

3. Plan the buildings’ ingress and egress to facilitate clearly separated directional traffic in line with accessibility bylaws and regulations for disabilities.

4. Allot adequate areas outside and around buildings for landscaping and farming that help in creating an environment of well-being and support food availability.

5. Issue instructions to contractors and others who are available on construction sites to alert employees and construction workers not to be exposed to the coronavirus in order to reduce the risk of transmission and stay safe.

11. Other priorities, policies, and controls (i.e., physical and administrative)

11.1 Physical controls

Physical controls are established through clear and systematic policies and procedures by the concerned authority controlling the building and the surrounding environment. The occupants and users of the building have to observe and apply these policies and procedures strictly [2, 6, 8, 82]. Few related examples are listed here:

• Allocate adequate areas outside the building entrance; these need to be covered, if possible, for various activities.

• Provide separate entrances and exits for buildings and compounds, in addition to a directional traffic system to reduce direct contact between occupants, taking into consideration accessibility for users with disabilities.

11.2 Administrative controls

The administrative controls need to be established and issued in terms of clear instructions and orders to the occupants and users of the building for proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Few related examples are listed here:

• Ensure the strict implementation of reduced occupancy density and other related policies.

• Ensure the strict implementation of policies related to touchless practices, regular sanitizing and cleaning, and use of masks and other protective personal items.

• Ensure the strict implementation of policies related to quarantine deliveries.

12. Technology and innovations (building and engineering)

Adoption of new technological aspects plays an important role in minimizing the risk of pandemics and even eliminating them [38].

Few examples of new technological innovations, which showed their effectiveness in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, are listed below:

1. Touch-free lifts with foot-activated call buttons. This technology was employed in the Chicago Office Tower (Fulton East), USA [40].

2. Non-thermal plasma technology (airPHX) that eliminates cross-contamination hazards and delivers cleaner air for employees. This airPHX technology reduces viruses, bacteria, and mold by 90–99% both in the air and on surfaces [39].

3. Use of artificial intelligence (AI) and smart building solutions to reduce the number of contact points and COVID-19 disease transmission. The technology is currently employed in the Bee’ah (an Arabic word which means “environment”) Headquarters, Sharjah, UAE [87].

4. Use of engineering control technologies to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 via air by potential modifications that include improving the efficiency of the central air filter, providing portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, and keeping the system running for longer hours to increase the volume flow rate of outside air in ventilation systems to enable 100% outside air [77, 81].

5. Use of materials that offer antimicrobial protection for walls and floors. Based on the research reviewed on surface material properties, the lifespan of coronavirus on various materials is depicted in these research studies; this will provide the designer the opportunity for selection on scientific bases [78, 79, 88, 89, 90, 91].

6. Use of robots for automation of the disinfection process by using C ultraviolet (UV) rays as they are capable of destroying bacteria and viruses, which are commonly known as pathogens [84, 85].

7. Recently, a smart Soterius Scout biosensor has been induced to detect viruses in buildings; this sensor can detect COVID-19 even if someone is asymptomatic, to provide clearance for someone to enter their work environment through precise early identification [86].

13. Develop building rules and regulations

The BENAYAT (Building Permit Portal), Unified Guidebook of Building Permit Regulations, Kingdom of Bahrain, First Edition 2018 [15], consists of 10 chapters in 372 pages with inputs from various concerned ministries and government establishments, except from three government establishments [i.e., Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labor and Social Development, and the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE) in Bahrain]. But with the emergence and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, it becomes necessary to have inputs from all concerned establishments to the Building Regulations to combat the pandemic by adopting the following suggestions and achieve healthy buildings and environments [9, 57, 92]:

1. Enact legislation to encourage adopting and enforcing healing design- building codes as a key strategy for making communities more resilient to diseases.

2. Create a rating system and inspection program to assess and monitor indoor air quality (IAQ) levels in indoor spaces.

3. Increase the minimum standard for ventilation rates for commercial spaces to 40 cubic feet per minute per person, instead of 20 being the current ASHRAE standard.

4. Make cities more livable by providing more wider walkways, bike paths, and closing streets to promote pedestrian-friendly activities and to accommodate safe distancing.

5. Amend local zoning regulations to encourage eating and drinking establishments to create more outdoor sidewalk cafes.

6. Amend local zoning regulations to encourage providing more terraces and balconies in apartment dwellings and units, for fresh air and natural light.

7. Urban planners should consider amending local land-use ordinances to encourage a more diverse typology of residential options to distribute the density in major areas through a mix of mid-rise buildings, multi-family units, and garden and laneway apartments.

   • Ministerial Order No. (40) of 2014 Article (3): The employer shall provide well-ventilated and lit rooms in each accommodation quarters of not less than four square meters per worker [92].

14. Sustainable building standards and criteria (modification and update for certification programs)

Reviewed literature on this matter indicated proposals to health-promoting strategies in the design and operation of the built environment to combat pandemics, simultaneously to address other chronic conditions [9, 31, 43, 45]. A thesis report titled “How Can Architecture Make Communities and Urban Environments More Resilient to Disease? September 2020” by Jeffrey A. Garofalo supports these suggestions through a proposal certification program named Dr. Wellbe. This proposed new certification program takes into consideration the role that airflow, light, spatial design, nature, and the treatment of materials can play in infection control by promoting design standards that are more resilient than the current market and that can protect the public during a pandemic [9]. Also, other reviewed literature showed that architectural certifications such as BREAM, LEED, and similar others programs may need to implement similar guidelines for public health [31].

BREAM, LEED, Fitwel, and other initiatives led by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and General Services Administration (GSA) do take into consideration health and wellbeing, with topics such as daylighting, outdoor view, glare control, indoor air quality plan, indoor air quality ventilation, thermal comfort, internal and external lighting, indoor pollutants, and quality views or acoustic performance in their guidelines criteria. But these guideline criteria for certification do not address or assess virus transmission [31].

Therefore, the authors suggest including within LEED and other similar programs criteria clauses on healthy buildings; this will encourage architects, developers, design teams, and building managers to design and retrofit spaces with health-giving attributes as well as enhance the existing standards for ventilation and IAQ across all of the building certification programs.

15. Conclusion

In conclusion, this study may be considered as a pilot study in the field of new, changing architecture due to pandemic crisis. Pandemics change everything; they change the politics, economics, and sociology of every culture they touch [1]. This research study was conducted parallel with the COVID-19 pandemic, which makes it a peculiar one and creates a great necessity to innovative architecture rather than the traditional concepts to overcome the challenges imposed by COVID-19 or future pandemics. Architects, concerned engineers, and other professionals need to consider the concepts concerning social distancing, not social isolation; less concentration per place; more space (inner and outer); new materials, signage, and written clear instructions; biophilic elements and features; and new techniques for circulation within buildings and outside them as well as the entry and exit of buildings, in addition to updating rules, regulations, design, environments, and sustainability manuals and standards to include measures to combat pandemics.

The authors believe that the initial three-setup hypotheses at the beginning of this chapter are satisfied through establishing the guidelines from the data collected and reviewed; also, proposals to update Building Rules and Regulations and Sustainable Building Standards and Criteria are highlighted for the prevention and control of the spread of pandemics within buildings and surrounding environments at the Kingdome of Bahrain and elsewhere in the world.

The study concludes that no single profession can address all the challenges of this pandemic; it is a professional multidisciplinary team challenge. Thus, architecture and other related building courses need to be modified to cope with the existing and potential future challenges and to use online learning as one of the many tools in the toolbox to enrich architectural education for healthy buildings and environments [93].

The established eight main categories of guidelines and recommendations integrate and complement each other to combat COVID-19 and other similar pandemics. It was experienced during pandemics that the spaces people inhabit can either protect them or make them sick. COVID-19 has also shown how the outbreaks of disease are spatial problems. Therefore, architecture can be well suited to design spaces that reduce the public’s exposure to contamination globally. With the right building materials, airflow, and spatial strategies, spaces can be designed to support infection control.

Finally, the proposed guidelines in this chapter are intended to provide concerned university students, design professionals, employers, building owners, and public officials globally with tools (i.e., professional vaccine) for reducing and eliminating risk when designing new building projects, modifying existing buildings, conducting maintenance works and interior design projects, and reoccupying buildings during and after the pandemic.