On Thursday, January 14th, the ACEC Research Institute held a roundtable in its Future of Engineering series focused on building density in a post-pandemic world.  Information on future roundtables can be found on the ACEC Research Institute website.

The pandemic has forced us to change the way we live and work. Most office buildings, although designed with open floor plans, have far lower current occupancy rates than pre-pandemic due to employees working remotely and adhering to social distancing guidelines. In addition, traditionally densely occupied buildings, such as urban high rises in the central business district (CBD), healthcare and education, are having exceptional difficulties conducting business as usual. Will this decade become the decade of suburbia? How will existing buildings be retrofitted and new buildings be designed and constructed in the future? Will new occupant density requirements change the economics of real estate investment? This roundtable will address the following areas:

• How will building designs change in the future, particularly for traditionally densely occupied buildings such as urban high rises in the CBD, healthcare and education?

Panelists: