As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, disrupting daily life and causing major economic damage, design leaders are pivoting to focus on how building design can combat infectious diseases and improve public health outcomes.

The coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, has led to more than 40,000 deaths globally in the last three months. Over 3,000 deaths have occurred in the U.S. as of Tuesday afternoon.

There are still many unknowns surrounding COVID-19, including a viable vaccine and whether it will reoccur seasonally. With this in mind, building design could start to change quickly, as the industry seeks to make workplaces and public spaces safer.

“I think we're on the cusp of actually seeing it impact current work underway,” Gensler Managing Principal Kevin Heinly said.

“There are real design measures our clients could institute in our buildings to help safeguard against the worsening of that spike in the future.”

Joe Allen, a Harvard assistant professor of exposure assessment science, told Bisnow buildings can play an important role in minimizing the risk presented by different modes of disease transmission.

One simple design element that can make a big difference is the quality of air ventilation. By investing in better mechanical air filtration systems to reduce airborne particles, fewer forms of disease will be able to spread.

Heightened awareness and concern about disease transmission could impact the indoor air quality standards that already exist.

“I think we'll soon be in a place where ‘acceptable’ is no longer acceptable,” Allen said. “The goal will be optimal. The goal will be healthy indoor air quality.”

Pickard Chilton principal Jon Pickard said the level of care that goes into designing mechanical ventilation systems will be amplified in the wake of the pandemic, as people are motivated to do an even better job as they create new facilities.

“I believe after something like this, these systems are going to be more carefully scrutinized,” Pickard said. Building design is also likely to see a surge of touchless and sensor technology and features in the future, which will also reduce the transmission of disease, Heinly said.