HomeMy WebLinkAbout3_Perkins Eastman COVID design letter
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October 8, 2020
Peter Duncan
President & CEO
George Comfort & Sons, Inc.
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Re:
Project Name: 900 King Street, Rye Brook, NY
Project Number: 70700.00
Subject: Post-Covid Design Impacts
Dear Mr. Duncan:
The COVID-19 Pandemic has had an impact on the operation and design of many
building types, including Senior Living communities. As a firm that has a long history
and extensive experience with this building type, Perkins Eastman has been actively
engaged in researching the effects that COVID-19 is having on the design and
operation of senior living communities.
Based on this work and research, we can confidently attest that the current site design
and building configuration for the senior living community at 900 King Street do not
need to change. Most of the design adjustments that have been influenced by the
need for infection control and maintaining resident health will be achieved internally
through adjustments to certain functional room arrangements, limiting the size of
groups in dining venues, improved procedures for receiving deliveries and improving air
quality which is largely a factor of increasing the filtration rate of the HVAC system to
MERV 13 or better and increasing outside air intake.
The following areas and features within the building have been identified where design
changes will have maximum impact in addressing COVID-19:
Dining: this is probably the major area where design changes should be made to
prevent the spread of airborne infection on a temporary basis. It would include the
following:
Seating Capacity: Designing alternate seating configurations/layouts
to temporarily reduce overall seating capacity in the dining areas, and
extending the hours of operations or the number of sittings for major
meals during contagious periods
Smaller Dining Groupings: Provide the ability to break up the dining
areas into smaller spaces to reduce the number of people in each
area
Take-Out Meals: Based on experience over the past 5 months, there
has been an increase demand (7%-35%) for ordering take-out meals.
We would create an area within the existing dining area footprint for
pick-up of take-out and grab and go items for residents who wish to
pick up food and return to eat in their apartments.
Outdoor dining: Develop outdoor terrace and dining areas to allow
residents to eat outside in fresh air for as much of the year as
possible.
Staff Entry: Covid-19 has illustrated that entering staff may become a potential source
of infection. The following design items will be incorporated at the staff entry point,
which in the current plans is located near the loading area:
Secure Entry: There will be a secure entry for staff where they can
have their temperature checked.
Staff Lockers: The staff locker area will be designed with separate
spaces where staff can change from street clothes into
dedicated/cleaned clothes for working in the facility. At the end of
their shift, these clothes will be left in secure storage containers in the
locker room for cleaning for the next day or days. The staff locker
rooms will also include shower facilities.
Deliveries and Packages: this aspect of operations is important to control the flow of
outside supplies and packages as they enter the community. The design of the
receiving/loading area will be configured to allow for the following:
Packages: during Covid-19, there has been a big increase in the
number of packages that people have ordered from Amazon and UPS,
as well as other deliveries. There will be a space to receive, disinfect
(if needed) and then store and distribute the packages to the
residents. The resident distribution will either be in an enlarged mail
room on the main level or through internal delivery directly to each
residential apartment.
Food Deliveries: the culinary staff will need to remove deliveries from
their packages before bringing them into the kitchen and kitchen
storage area. These boxes and packaging will be broken down and
prepared for removal/disposal within the loading area.
Other General Design Considerations: there are some additional general COVID-19
influenced design elements that may be incorporated into the project. Again, these
elements will not change the building or site configuration, and would include:
Balconies: during COVID-19, when most residents were asked to stay
in their units, balconies often became the only respite allowing them
to “go out” of their units and get some fresh air. There are a number
of balconies indicated on the current plans, but the design might add
balconies to other apartments to provide this outdoor space option.
This would not effect the overall footprint.
Outdoor social areas: the design team will look for opportunities to
introduce additional outdoor activity space, in addition to the outdoor
dining areas. There are already sidewalks as part of the site, which
are an important venue for wellness as part of a senior community.
Sitting areas for quiet and visitation: internal plan refinements to
create smaller-scale places for people to spend a quiet moment, or if
receiving visitors, to give them privacy and a sense of safety when
relatives come to visit.
Air Quality: systems for heating/cooling and air distribution will be
studied to improve the level of indoor air quality. This will include
increasing the ratio of outside air introduced and the use of MERV 13
filtration. Where practical, ultraviolet light will be used as a
disinfection agent where practical, particularly in the assisted living
and memory care areas of the community.
Again, the majority of these changes do not affect the external form of the buildings or
the site layout. Rather, they will work with and support operational changes intended
to make the community a safer and healthier place for its residents.
Richard S. Rosen, AIA LEED AP Stuart Lachs, AIA LEED AP
Principal, Perkins Eastman Principal, Perkins Eastman