Sensory Library Design: Responding to a Pandemic's Impact on Built Environments

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Sensory Library Design
Responding to a Pandemic’s Impact on Built Environments
by Traci Engel Lesneski

Introduction
As the world works toward establishing the new
normal, we must also turn our attention to the
next normal. Interventions in the built environment—where
we spend over 90% of our day
in the best of times—are necessary to ensure
healthy public and staff spaces in both the
short- and long-term. Using a building engages
the five primary senses—touch, sight, smell and
taste (through breathing the air), and hearing.
Each of these engagements with a building is
impacted by COVID-19.
Library buildings are social equalizers and
critical nodes of community connectivity.
Today’s libraries offer a wide range of resources
and services dedicated to fostering learning,
curiosity, and discovery in all the literacies
required to thrive. Open to all community
members (academic or municipal), library
buildings must support users in a full range of
activities, from solitary, focused work to large
meetings and social gatherings—and everything
between. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19,
many discussions about library design centered
around human interaction:
▪ Increasing space for community gathering
and collaboration.
▪ Creating spaces that promote exploration
through hands-on learning.
▪ Supporting learning about health and nutrition
through community kitchens.
▪ Housing tools and physical items as an
extension of the sharing economy.
▪ Bringing staff members together in
collaborative, flexible workrooms.
We still need these things to happen. Humans
are inherently social and need one another to
flourish and thrive. The built environment brings
us together to connect with other community
members. Erik Klinenberg writes in his book
Palaces for the People (Klinenberg 2018), “Social
cohesion develops through repeated human
interaction and joint participation in shared
projects.” The world’s complex problems (e.g.,
pandemics, racism, food insecurity, climate
change, and homelessness) require systems
thinking to solve. Shared spaces such as libraries
provide places where people can practice the
bridging skills needed to work across political
lines, cultures, and countries. Talent is distributed
equally, but access and opportunity are not. The
pandemic has magnified inequality. We need
the built environment and especially spaces
that are open to everyone. Libraries are connective
tissue in fractured communities, offering
places where relationships can develop, and
people learn to deal with difference, density, and
diversity.
Yet the risks associated with gathering in public
places while the pandemic is still ongoing are
real. We have quickly gotten used to meeting
online. In lieu of in-person programming, libraries
have pivoted to online programming and
podcasts. Curbside and remote holds pickup
services have reinstated much-needed access
to resources and entertainment. Even some volunteering
at the library has moved online. These
necessary adaptations and extensions of service
do not, however, replace the real need to be in
proximity to others and feel part of a community,
even if only to be alone together.
As libraries turn their thoughts to planning for
a reopening of their buildings, the onslaught of
information about how to do so safely can be
overwhelming. The opportunity lies in supporting
health and well-being, while allaying fears associated
with returning to buildings used by many.
Considering our senses and how we interact
with one another offers a helpful way to organize
the many issues and options.
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What We Touch
Myriad resources offer guidance on how to
deal safely with the lending and processing of
materials. This article will focus only on the built
environment (see the end of this article for links
to resources). Library users and staff may also
be understandably concerned about using
shared tables and chairs. Viral particles settle
and resettle on surfaces through airflow caused
by mechanical systems, natural ventilation, the
movement of people, and even the thermal
plumes from bodies. A person may then touch
or use these contaminated surfaces. If that
person then touches their face (particularly their
mouth, nose, or eyes) before properly washing
their hands to kill any virus that was transferred,
they may contract the virus. We are familiar
with the repeated urging from public health
experts, medical professionals, and the CDC to
avoid touching our faces and wash our hands
frequently and properly. Proper hand washing is
a great defense against virus spread. It is worth
noting that when virus lands on a surface, it
immediately begins to degrade, making likelihood
for this sort of transition relatively low.
In fact, according to an American Society for
Microbiology study (Dietz, Horve, Coil, Fretz, Eisen,
and Van Den Wymelenberg 2020), no documented
cases of a COVID-19 infection originating
from a fomite (e.g., inanimate objects such
as tables, chairs, textiles, paper, plastics, metal,
and tile) have been reported. Still, frequent
cleaning of shared surfaces is advised. For large
libraries, placing placards stating that a seat or
table was recently used and awaits cleaning
may help manage time spent cleaning.
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In recent decades, chemical additives and
finishes to upholstery textiles (purported to
boost performance and cleanability and protect
human health) have saturated the market.
Particularly, the past decade has seen a marked
rise in the use of antimicrobial building products,
such as paints, carpets, door hardware, and
counter tops. These substances are often
marketed as protecting humans from infections
caused by microbes (e.g., bacteria, fungi, and
viruses). However, no evidence exists that antimicrobial
technologies currently used for building
surfaces protect human health or prevent the
spread of viruses such as the coronavirus. Worse,
the chemicals used may be carcinogenic and
can actually cause harm to human reproductive,
endocrine, and respiratory health, of particular
concern in our current pandemic (Healthy
Building Network and Perkins + Will 2020).
Use materials that provide ease of cleaning
and are free of harmful substances. Recent
entries into the furnishings market include
silicone textiles that resist scuffing, scratching,
and abrasive cleaners; contain no adhesives,
solvents, topcoats, or chemical additives; and
are pleasing to the touch. The best defense
is to clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces
regularly (and remind people to wash their
hands frequently and properly). Making cleaning
visible reassures building users.
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Implement Right Now
▪ Add touchless trash bins at entries and
throughout public spaces.
▪ Replace high-touch fixtures (e.g., hand soap
dispensers, faucets, and trash bins) with
touchless versions.
▪ Avoid incorporating materials and products
billed as anti-microbial.
▪ Add toe-pulls for toilet room doors.
▪ Remove doors from cabinets (in staff
workrooms and areas with public access to
supplies).
▪ Add signage that reminds people to cover
their mouths and noses when coughing and
sneezing and to wash their hands frequently
(directing them to the nearest place to do so).
▪ Make hand sanitizer available throughout your
building, especially near entries, for use before/
after touching doors (if doors require touching
to use).
▪ Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces
regularly throughout the day (at least every two
hours).
▪ Add sanitizing wipes to all meeting spaces and
encourage use before/after use of tables, dry
erase markers, technology, and other tools.
▪ Use placards to alert customers and staff to
which tables/chairs were recently used and
await cleaning.
▪ Use signage to indicate when rooms were/will
be cleaned (e.g., study rooms, toilet rooms, and
meeting rooms).
Implement Over Time
▪ Replace building entry doors with touchless
versions.
▪ Replace toilet room doors with touchless entries
(e.g., “airport” or “s” style).
▪ Replace manual flush valves with sensoroperated,
hands-free fixtures.
▪ Provide additional hand-washing stations (for
large buildings). If existing drinking fountain
quantity exceeds code requirements, handwashing
stations with bottle fillers could replace
drinking fountains.
▪ Reupholster soft seating with wipeable textiles
on seats and backs.
▪ Implement automated materials return to
ensure returns are updated in users’ accounts
immediately while waiting for materials to be
cleaned.
7

What We See
As treasure troves of resources, libraries have a
lot of things present in their buildings. The library
and information services industry has quickly
gotten in front of how to loan materials safely for
customers and staff. These policies are posted
on websites and in buildings to bring peace of
mind. The visual presentation of these materials
also needs consideration. Visually chaotic surroundings
not only intimidate many library users,
but in times of a pandemic may create a perception
of germ-harboring. Practice vigilance
in keeping materials tidy and being intentional
about display. Keep display of materials limited
to fixtures, not along tops of shelving, to facilitate
ease of cleaning tops of shelves and reduce
surfaces for virus to land on. Limit the number
of signs and placards at service desks. Just as
good collection management practice includes
both acquisition and weeding, management of
a healthy interior environment requires editing.
A perception of cleanliness is important as well.
Choosing building materials that look clean
when they are clean will be especially key at
this time. While many of our clients balk at the
idea of light-colored tables or counter tops, it’s
easy to know when they are clean. This factor will
prompt frequent cleaning—key to keeping the
virus at bay—and help users feel more peace of
mind, especially when combined with a visible,
frequent, cleaning regimen. Of course, the virus
isn’t visible on surfaces, so keeping up with
cleaning and sanitizing, and handwashing, still
applies.
Access to nature can increase well-being and
lower anxiety. Boosting social cohesion safely,
natural environments have proven benefits, such
as lowered blood pressure, increased mental
focus and health, improved creativity, and stress
reduction. For community members lacking
access to safe outdoor spaces, libraries can be
a lifeline. Libraries with outdoor space can offer
physically-distanced programming, ranging
from story times and physical activity to outdoor
concerts and movies. Community gardens in
raised garden beds can be temporarily installed
in areas without green space (e.g., in parking lots
that may not be as full as they once were).
Even a visual connection to nature has positive
impacts on our health and well-being. Libraries
without open space large enough to offer
outdoor programming can position seating near
windows with views to the outdoors, or place live
plants throughout the building.
Implement Right Now
▪ Reduce clutter and keep spaces tidy. Edit out all
but the essential to help with cleaning and with
the perception of cleanliness.
▪ Move seating near windows with views to the
outdoors (spaced at least 6 feet, or 2 meters,
apart).
▪ Leverage outdoor spaces for programming.
▪ Add live plants to the building interior.
▪ Resist the urge to add signs about every service
or rule for using the building, and instead ask
yourself why it isn’t intuitively apparent what to
do in the first place. Then address the core issue.
▪ Make cleaning visible and clean high-touch
surfaces at least every two hours.
Implement Over Time
▪ Install or replace building materials that are
difficult to clean with those that are easily
cleaned.
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What We Breathe
Public health experts have underscored that
COVID-19 is mostly spread by respiratory
droplets released when people breathe, talk,
cough, sneeze, and sing (which is why it’s so
important to stay physically distant from one
another). Being with people from other households
in interior spaces is always a risk in an
ongoing pandemic, but this risk can be reduced
by breaking the transmission pathways of aerosolized
virus. ASHRAE, a global society with the
mission to, “serve humanity by advancing the
arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning,
refrigeration, and their allied fields” has
published position papers about safe engineering
practice for the built environment. In ASHRAE
Position Document on Infectious Aerosols,
ASHRAE states, “Ventilation and filtration provided
by heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning
systems can reduce the airborne concentration
of SARS-CoV-2 and thus the risk of transmission
through the air” (ASHRAE 2020).
Mechanisms to increase the health of indoor air
fall into five basic categories:
1. Dilution. Dilute the air’s potential viral load
by introducing more outside air, improving
the effectiveness of air distribution
systems, and reducing the mixing of air in
occupied spaces (e.g., through the use of
displacement air systems such as under
floor air distribution). Evaluate your energy
recovery system’s installation and operation
to ensure there is no cross-contamination
between air being exhausted and outside air
coming into the building.
2. Relative Pressurization. Control/adjust
relative pressurization between building
spaces to avoid cross-contamination
between zones.
3. Improved Filtration. Use highly-efficient
particle filtration (enhanced beyond
code minimums). This strategy can be
incorporated into central air handling
systems as a filter replacement or upgrade.
Another option is to use unitary air scrubbers
with HEPA filters, which can be located within
an occupied space.
4. Mechanical Disinfection. Utilize ultraviolet
(UVC) lighting systems above head height
along room perimeters, within air handling
unit casings and/or ductwork, or bipolar
ionization in occupied spaces or within
ducted systems.
5. Optimized Relative Humidity. Make
provisions to control relative humidity to
stay within a range of 40%-60%. This tactic
typically involves adding humidification to
central systems or spaces.
Libraries should also have an emergency
response plan to maximize outdoor air ventilation
and improve central air and HVAC filtration
(using MERV 13 filters at a minimum, with MERV
15 filters preferred). Consideration should be
given to running systems 24/7 if possible and to
maintaining a range of temperature and relative
humidity that reduces the lifespan of bacteria
and viruses. Recent best practices also suggest
a full building flush using the central air handling
systems before and after occupied hours when
outside air conditions are acceptable. Because
many of these measures will have an appreciable
impact on energy use, we recommend
consulting a mechanical engineer to ensure that
the building’s heating, ventilating, and air conditioning
systems are engineered, operated, and
maintained to optimize safety without sacrificing
personal comfort—during the pandemic and,
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with adjustments, after the period of risk has
passed. Adding humidification within buildings
to maintain relative humidity levels in the winter
months in cold climate areas will require an
analysis of the building envelope.
Toilet room and toilet fixture design also plays
a role. Toilet plume is the phenomenon of
droplets being explosively released into the air
when someone flushes a toilet. According to
an American Journal of Infection Control study
(Johnson, Mead, Lynch, and Hirst 2013), these
droplets can contain high concentrations of
pathogens, may stay in the air over 60 minutes,
and can be inhaled deep into the lungs. Lidless
toilets increase the risk considerably. Aside from
being a highly unpleasant thought, this phenomenon
has health implications, particularly
in an ongoing viral pandemic. COVID-19 virus is
confirmed to shed in feces and vomit. Limiting
occupancy of toilet rooms to one occupant (or
to individuals from the same household) may
help prevent possible transmission of the virus.
Carpet-free interior environments are another
consideration. Limiting the use of carpet
enhances the ability to clean the floor (where
much of the virus shed will land). Carpet holds
dust, dirt, pollen, mold spores, and other materials
brought in on peoples’ shoes. If not frequently
cleaned and properly maintained, carpet can
release these particles into the air during the
course of regular activity. The acoustic benefits
of carpeting are minor since most commercial-grade
carpet installations aren’t thick
enough to provide much acoustic value. The
acoustic benefit is primarily softening of footfall
noise. However, this benefit is outweighed by the
ability to fully clean and disinfect floor surfaces.
Implement Right Now
▪ Increase air exchange and turnover.
▪ Install lids on toilets if designed for them.
▪ Use operable windows where possible (and
safe) to increase fresh air.
▪ Limit building occupancy and duration of visits
(use an app so users can track when space is
available).
▪ Use an entry token that must be returned when
leaving to track number of users in the building.
▪ Limit duration of visits to allow more people
access throughout the day.
▪ Provide outdoor services as much as practical.
▪ Implement dedicated hours for high-risk
customers.
▪ Implement a policy that toilet rooms are single
use (even those with larger capacity).
Implement Over Time
▪ Install toilets with lids (ideally sensor-activated)
and foot-pedal flushing mechanisms.
▪ Replace toilet rooms with single-occupant, selfcontained
roomlets (to contain the plume to
one area).
▪ Replace carpet with easier-to-clean flooring
options.
▪ Upgrade mechanical systems to enable
increased fresh air, better control of relative
pressurization, improved filtration (either in
central systems or unitary air scrubbers), and
better control of relative humidity.
▪ Install mechanical disinfection systems (UVC
or bipolar ionization) in central air handling
systems or within occupied spaces.
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What We Hear
Acoustics are a key consideration for library
buildings. Each user has a different expectation
for what is “proper” for a library, ranging along a
spectrum from place for solitary quiet study and
reflection to collaborative work and hands-on
learning, to listening to a great speaker or
musician. All have different acoustic requirements.
The pandemic may exacerbate these
expectations around acoustics. Those on the
front lines and looking for respite at the library
between shifts may be even more sensitive to
noise and activity. Conversely, those who have
grown tired of a solitary existence sheltered in
place for weeks on end may be pining for (safe)
proximity to others.
Many libraries will have temperature checks and
questionnaires to screen visitors and prevent
someone who is obviously ill from entering the
premises. However, even the healthy occasionally
cough or sneeze, and these sounds will
cause anxiety to many customers (and staff).
Spacing furnishings to allow physical distancing
is necessary and will provide a measure
of comfort and safety. Privacy dividers around
study and lounge seating, or the use of movable
fixtures such as markerboards, can offer privacy,
separation, and protection from direct contact
with others (and their coughs). Surfaces should
be cleaned frequently. White noise can help
mask some noises. Even more effective than
mechanical white noise, natural sounds have
a restorative effect on our psyche. According
to a Scientific Reports study (Gould van Praag,
Garfinkel, Sparasci, Mees, Philippides, Ware,
Ottaviani, and Critchley 2017), sounds from
nature physically alter the connections in our
brains, reducing our body’s natural fight-orflight
instinct. The individuals in the study with
the highest recorded stress levels registered a
lowered heart rate while listening.
Implement Right Now
▪ Install privacy dividers between staff and
customer workspaces, which can double as
sneeze guards.
▪ Implement a touchless screening system at
entry (e.g., touchless temperature scans and
survey).
▪ Make cleaning visible and clean high-touch
surfaces at least every two hours.
Implement Over Time
▪ Add a white noise/sound masking system to
staff workrooms and public seating areas.
▪ Add sound absorptive surfaces in trouble zones.
The removal of soft furniture for distancing
and bias for cleanable surfaces may produce
adverse effects on acoustics.
14

How We Interact:
Behavior Changes
Public health experts state that COVID-19 is
mostly spread by respiratory droplets released
when people talk, cough, or sneeze. The importance
of maintaining distance between individuals
while the pandemic is ongoing has been
underscored time and again by public health
experts. New behaviors will be required to keep
the public safe as we reactivate public spaces.
Temperature scanning to detect fever before
admission to a building, implementing one-way
entry and exit doors, and limiting building
occupancy will be common tools to protect
public health.
Maintaining distance between individuals
requires reduced density in public spaces. This
measure may require physically removing furnishings
to storage or other areas of the building.
If space permits, rearranging tables, seating, and
desks to decrease density and avoid face-toface
contact between users is a viable alternative
to removing furnishings. Flexibility has been a
hallmark of library design for decades. The ability
for users to adapt furnishing layouts to suit the
size of their group while maintaining proper
distance from others will be key. Light-weight
furnishings with low-friction glides (or furniture
on casters) will aid in this ability. At the policy
level, building occupancy levels may need to be
limited, and stay-time limits instituted to provide
equitable access.
As we get used to the idea of physical distancing
(keeping 6 feet, or 2 meters, from one another),
people will need visual cues to ingrain these
behavioral changes. Floor markers can be used
to space people in a queue at 6-foot distances,
or to mark seating zones. Movable privacy
screens, markerboards, panels, drapery, storage
units, plants, and other items can be used break
down large spaces into safe increments. Interior
Hennepin County Library–Eden Prairie
Teens’ Area and Hands-On Learning Lab
this page: existing plan | following page left to right:
distancing impacts plan and physical distancing plan
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traffic patterns must also be considered, to
avoid conflicts that bring people closer than
the recommended 6 feet apart. Arrows on floor
to show traffic direction and spacing will serve
as reminders and guidance. If the use of stacks
is permitted, floor markers indicating traffic
direction is advised as aisles between stacks are
generally too narrow for safe passing. Provide
visual cues for distancing at check-out stations
and toilet rooms. Some floor finish manufacturers
are already starting to offer patterned
flooring to assist with these visual cues (Crook
2020).
Sometimes we need to work together, pandemic
or not, to collaborate in pursuit of innovation or
problem solving. These activities are most safely
done virtually, but, if done in person, a standing
meeting in an open area is a great alternative to
sitting at a table in an enclosed room. Standing
allows people to naturally distance themselves
from others, and moving (as one is more likely
to do while standing) has been shown to boost
creativity by 60% (Steelcase 2019: 70-84). In all
cases, groups should be limited to 10 people
or less and able to maintain 6 feet (2 meters)
between people from separate households.
Where possible, outdoor programming presents
an opportunity to connect with each other and
potentially nature in the safest way possible. Let’s
Move in Libraries (University of North Carolina
at Greensboro School of Education 2020) offers
many ideas for how libraries can foster health
and activity on one’s own or with community
members outdoors, safely.
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Implement Right Now
▪ Reduce number of occupants in all enclosed
spaces (e.g., study rooms, offices, and
workrooms) to ensure distancing is possible.
▪ Designate one-directional entry/exit pathways
(and ensure that they are accessible).
▪ Designate lanes and directions for moving
throughout the building (including staff and
public spaces).
▪ Use temporary, movable partitions to subdivide
larger spaces.
▪ Space furniture (or remove) to adhere to
guidelines for 6-foot (2-meter) spacing
between people.
▪ Provide mobile power devices to facilitate
distancing and provide more control and
choice in how to distance.
▪ Designate elevators (lifts) as single occupancy
(or single household) per trip.
▪ Implement queuing protocols and visual cues.
If space is at a premium, consider using an app
such as QueuePad.
▪ Establish building capacity limits to ensure
distancing is possible.
▪ Make masks the norm by requiring them for
entry to be worn throughout the building.
▪ Require appointments for consultation to
eliminate potential bottlenecks.
▪ Consider requiring appointments to use study
and lounge seating.
▪ Continue drive-up, pick-up, and curbside
service.
▪ Continue offering online and outdoor
programming.
▪ Designate public toilets as single occupancy.
Implement Over Time
▪ Replace furniture with lightweight, easily
movable products to allow expansion/
contraction of physical distancing.
▪ Consider gender inclusive toilet rooms, which
reduce the likelihood of long lines during highuse
times.
▪ Provide a weather covering to protect people
while queuing outdoors.
▪ Continue a mix of online and in-person
programming (consider that online
programming may be more inclusive in the long
term).
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Conclusion
According to climate scientists, such as those at
the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s
Center for Climate Health and the Global
Environment (C-CHANGE), pandemics could
become a regular occurrence. According to
C-Change, “Many of the root causes of climate
change also increase the risk of pandemics”
(Bernstein 2020). For example, deforestation
is a major contributor to habitat loss, which
forces animals to migrate outside their normal
habitat—and come into contact with other
animals (including humans) they normally
wouldn’t. Humans’ historic partnership with
plants and animals is currently out of balance,
negatively impacting human health. As United
Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres
states in his 2020 International Mother Earth
Day message, “We need to turn the [pandemic]
recovery into a real opportunity to do things
right for the future” (Guterres 2020). Policies
and social norms have been disrupted, which
presents a real opportunity for change. The
International Federation of Library Associations
and Institutions (IFLA) recognizes the deep tie
between the UN Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) and libraries (IFLA 2017). The library field
is uniquely positioned to show leadership and
advocacy in achieving these goals to create a
socially just and resilient world.
We have an opportunity to reevaluate and
reimagine what public places can be and how
they support and strengthen communities so all
can thrive. Libraries are the heart of public space
for most communities. At minimum, libraries will
need to address the very real requirement for
buildings to nimbly accommodate expansion and
contraction of occupancy (i.e., normal use model
vs. physical distancing model) and still be attractive
and welcoming to people. As Kim Tingley
states in her recent article “How Architecture
Could Help Us Adapt to the Pandemic” in The
New York Times Magazine, “When we don’t notice
the built environment, it’s silently affirming our
right to be there, our value to society. When we
do, too often it is because it’s telling us we don’t
belong” (Tingley 2020).
If not carefully considered, implementing the
safety measures required to protect library
users from contracting the virus could result
in safe spaces that nobody wants to use. For
this reason, hospitals and clinics have recently
begun drawing on residential design. Design
matters. Human health, comfort, and well-being
must be the drivers—and part of well-being is
feeling welcome and taking pleasure in one’s
surroundings.
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About the Author
Additional Resources
Urban Libraries Council (ULC)
International Federation of Library Associations
(IFLA)
https://www.ifla.org/covid-19-and-libraries
Public Library Association (PLA)
http://www.ala.org/pla/issues/covid-19
Traci Engel Lesneski
cid, iida, leed ap, associate aia
CEO and principal of MSR Design, Traci focuses
on design for libraries and learning. She
promotes an integrated design approach—
equally valuing human well-being, building
performance, aesthetics, and delight. Recent
building projects Traci has led include the
award-winning VCAM building—a 24/7 visual
culture, arts, and media creative hub for
Haverford College in Pennsylvania—and
Missoula’s new library and culture house
(opening in summer 2020 in Montana). Traci
regularly contributes articles to library publications
and lectures nationally and internationally
about the built environment’s role in fostering
well-being, promoting learning, and creating
inclusive and cohesive communities. Traci is
chair of the American Library Association’s
Architecture for Public Libraries Committee
and a member of IFLA’s Library Buildings and
Equipment Section Standing Committee.
To request a PDF of this article, please contact Traci:
traci@msrdesign.com
ASHRAE
https://www.ashrae.org/about/news/2020/
https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/
resources
https://www.ashrae.org/news/ashraejournal/
Healthy Building Network (HBN)
https://healthybuilding.net/covid19
American Institute of Architects (AIA)
https://www.urbanlibraries.org/member-resources/coronavirus-resources
ashrae-issues-statements-on-relationship-between-covid-19-and-hvac-in-buildings
guidance-for-building-operations-during-thecovid-19-pandemic
https://www.aia.org/resources/6292441-re-occupancy-assessment-tool
Additional Contribution
Technical input for the “What We Breathe”
section of this article was provided by Michaud
Cooley Erickson (MCE).
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References
ASHRAE. 2020. ASHRAE Position Document on
Infectious Aerosols. April 14, 2020. Atlanta: ASHRAE
https://www.ashrae.org/file%20library/about/
position%20documents/pd_infectiousaerosols_2020.pdf
Bernstein, Aaron. 2020. “Coronavirus, Climate
Change, and the Environment: A Conversation
on COVID-19 with Dr. Aaron Bernstein, Director
of Harvard C-CHANGE.” C-CHANGE website.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/c-change/
subtopics/coronavirus-and-climate-change/
Crook, Lizzie. 2020. “Milliken’s Latest Flooring
Collections Include Carpet Tiles to Aid Social
Distancing.” Dezeen (May 26). https://www.
dezeen.com/2020/05/26/milliken-flooring-collection-vdf-products-fair/
Dietz, Leslie, Patrick F. Horve, David A. Coil, Mark
Fretz, Jonathan A. Eisen, and Kevin Van Den
Wymelenberg. 2020. “2019 Novel Coronavirus
(COVID-19) Pandemic: Built Environment
Considerations to Reduce Transmission.” Edited
by Jack A. Gilbert. mSystems, 5:e00245-20.
https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00245-20
Gould van Praag, Cassandra D., Sarah N.
Garfinkel, Oliver Sparasci, Alex Mees, Andrew O.
Philippides, Mark Ware, Cristina Ottaviani, and
Hugo D. Critchley. 2017. “Mind-Wandering and
Alterations to Default Mode Network Connectivity
when Listening to Naturalistic Versus Artificial
Sounds.” Scientific Reports 7, article number:
45273 (March 27). https://www.nature.com/
articles/srep45273
Healthy Building Network and Perkins + Will. 2020.
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