6 must reads for the AEC industry today: April 13, 2020

1. The role of higher education housing in fighting COVID-19 (Clark Nexsen)
Distance learning, remote work, and the need for emergency medical facilities may forever change the way these spaces are designed and use—and a new emphasis on serving the community, regardless of primary function, has emerged.

2. How prefab can enable the design and construction industry to bring much needed beds to hospitals, faster (Autodesk)
The outbreak of COVID-19 represents an unprecedented test for the global healthcare system.

3. HGA and The Boldt Company devise a prefabricated temporary hospital to manage surge capacity during a viral crisis (BD+C)
A STAAT Mod system can be ready to receive patients in less than a month.

4. Only 69% of apartment residents have paid April rent, but that number isn't the full story (Bisnow)
Only 69% of apartment households in the U.S. paid their monthly rent by April 5, falling by 12% from the collection rate recorded a month ago, according to data released by the National Multifamily Housing Council Wednesday. The percentage of households that have paid their April rent also fell 13% from the same date in 2019, NMHC said

5. Cushman & Wakefield launches Recovery Readiness Task Force (Cushman & Wakefield)
The Recovery Readiness Task Force (RRTF) to lead the development of best practices, products and partnerships to prepare clients for post-COVID-19 recovery and the eventual return to the workplace. Additionally, Cushman & Wakefield has launched a new office design concept on its website, which can be found at www.SixFeetOffice.com, showcasing a new social distancing program developed by the firm and being piloted in The Netherlands.

6. Design competition focuses on reducing urban heat island effect (BD+C)
An international design competition hosted by the United Arab Emirates’ Department of Municipalities and Transport is focused on reducing the urban heat island effect.

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The Architectural Billings Index measures the general sentiment of U.S. architecture firms about the health of the construction market by measuring 1) design billings and 2) design contracts. Any score above 50 means that, among the architecture firms surveyed, more firms than not reported seeing increases in design work vs. the previous month.