Thoughts in the Midst of Pandemic

If I am to be honest, the alarming rise in numbers of Covid-19 infected patients is giving me the jitters. I am known to be the anxious type, hence it is inevitable that my anxiety is peaking through the roof.

It is very difficult to concentrate, as my mind is always racing, and I am always fixated to finding out new numbers, new news, and new information on Covid-19.

If it can give this sort of impact to me as one individual, it is therefore very easy to understand how Covid-19 is challenging the mental health of the society at large.

During MCO period that started 18 of March, it made me realise how much the design of unit layouts these days were catered for those who only treat their house as a place of sleep. Even the kitchen is rather small and almost unusable, making it hard to flex on the popular MCO groups such as Masak Apa Hari Ini. With the reducing square feet of homes these days, the MCO only pushed to make the houses seem unfriendly to the claustrophobes. Even those who have a small family would feel a bit claustrophobic in what seems to be shoe-box-sized homes.

Do you know what I missed most during MCO?

A balcony!

Who would’ve thought! If life were to go on as usual in a non-pandemic state, a balcony would be a waste of space, especially for the fact that it eats up your floor area (personal view). I might enjoy the space on weekends, but on most days, juggling a career and two small kids – I don’t even have time to breathe, let alone to spend on the balcony. It would add to my anxiety, too- afraid something would fall from my floor, or someone would climb up and fall (naudzubillah), so I wasn’t really eager on having a unit with one.

When MCO came, there we were, close to the 20th floor, only being able to look out from our tiny 800 sf home. In this tiny space, we cooked, we ate, we ran, we jumped, and spent countless hours listening to Cocomelon (the perks of having children, yougaizzzz). A balcony would have given us the opportunity to enjoy the fresh air (although I would be lying to say the air is very fresh in an industrial area), and would have given us the illusion that we were actually outside. It would – actually – help with my mental health.

I think, with Covid-19, designers have to think of innovative ways to adapt to the pandemic. What is the best layout for families to live in? What is the suitable sq. ft. per person? Could there be any innovative design that can help the residents cope with living indoors for months?

However, on a larger scale, it’s also food-for-thought too for urban planners. How can a city be resilient in the midst of pandemic? How can urban designers plan for mental health in times of pandemic?

Over time, it is learnt that after following all the standard operating procedures (masks, physical distance), being outdoors actually pose lower risks for the virus to spread (source: 1, 2, 3 ).

Our government is still wary, I guess, as there is still limitation on extra co-curricular activities and physical activities that schoolchildren can do at school. Pity the kids! Children need to be outdoors for their overall development. It is very essential!

A few social media mutuals have also complained on how it is very difficult to find a large enough park in their city that they can visit as opposed to malls. Being indoors pose a higher risk of virus spreading, and it is only logical to not want to spend time in malls after cases upon cases originating from malls that we hear lately. As such, urban designers need to rethink the strategy for green and outdoor spaces, especially since it also helps to improve urban dwellers’ mental health.

If we view Covid-19 as an issue, innovative thinkers will always have a strategy on how to navigate around the issue. How do we move on with our normal lives, adapting to the new normal?

This article shows some of the innovative inventions in response to Covid-19.

Article: 8 Innovative Designs for Navigating Public Spaces During COVID-19

Maybe you can also let me know what are other great innovative designs in the context of built environment that you have seen?