Outdoor play space, Hamburg, Germany
As designers find ways to be creative with parking lots and greenspaces, church clients may find that drive-in services become the hot new trend and the out-of-doors becomes a favorite place for prayer and play.
Design Principal Hana Ishikawa at site design group, an award-winning landscape architecture, urban design, and architecture firm based in Chicago, is looking ahead at outdoor spaces and all their potential. She shared her thoughts with designers Sharon and Peter Exley of Architecture is Fun, who reported for Church.Design.
Exleys: How does one design to support meaningful engagement in the era of coronavirus?
Ishikawa: Obviously, during these COVID times, it feels as though the safest place to be right now, even with social distancing and face coverings, is outdoors.
We may even find we like being out-of-doors, connecting to each other and nature. Being outside offers other benefits, too, from emotional boosts to helping us feel less stressed or anxious. People are glad to be together even when [seated] within 6-foot circles drawn on a lawn. Social happiness is powerful.
Exleys: In the spirit of doing the best with the infrastructure a client may already have, what are your recommendations?
Ishikawa: [Here are] initial considerations and recommendations on how best to work your outdoors to rethink community and comply with municipal and CDC guidelines:
- Utilize landscaped parking lots and open lawns.
- Site events near/under large trees to provide shade.
- Consider supplementing landscape features with open, pop-up tent structures or shade sails.
- Consider partnering with other facilities, such as parks, schools, and outdoor pavilions, that have existing infrastructure purpose-built where there is ample room.
Exleys: We’ve faced the bulk of the pandemic at times when we can leverage the spring, summer, and fall. As we head into wintertime, what suggestions do you have?
Ishikawa: The following ideas [can] help make the outdoors multi-seasonal.
Strategies to mitigate cold-weather deterrents include:
- Encourage BYOB (bring your own blanket).
- Utilize temporary outdoor fire pits or heat structures.
- Enclose one side of a pop-up tent structure with a windscreen.
- Utilize a more permanent overhead structure that protects from inclement weather but is open on most sides (potentially enclosing one for a windscreen).
- Locate to utilize buildings or existing landscape as screens to block wind.
- Transition from an outdoor venue to a drive-through or drive-in service (or both as needed). Similar to a drive-in movie, one can utilize AM radio stations to distribute audio to all attendees.
Flexibility and patience are required as distanced events and services may require different formats and setups to accommodate a safe gathering.
Site design group has also been involved in the roll out of several public outdoor spaces during the City of Chicago’s COVID-19 response. Here are additional considerations for facilitating safe outdoor events learned from these experiences:
Technology
- At a minimum, a generator, mic, and speaker system can be used to broadcast audio across a large area.
- Consider utilizing apps such as Listen Everywhere to broadcast audio via attendee's phones, using a password-protected WIFI network. This requires a strong outdoor network to maintain connectivity, which, in turn, may require additional WiFi extenders and outdoor electrical connections.
- For an outdoor event that uses tents or other overhead or screening structures, views may be blocked for attendees in the back. Consider outdoor screens or live streaming the event via Facebook or YouTube so attendees can see and hear what's going on.
- Consider limiting services and events to daytime/working hours (e.g., 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) to avoid disrupting neighbors. Different municipalities have different noise ordinances, therefore following those general guidelines can help avoid angering neighbors.
- Consider hosting multiple smaller services or events to limit gathering size and keep speaker volume low.
- Adding landscaped screening may help with the perception of sound/noise mitigation.
- Consider creature comforts for attendees (especially for the elderly, those hard of hearing, etc.--these user groups need special access).
- Site ADA-accessible areas at the front of the venue/site. This may require constructing additional infrastructure (concrete, etc.) to provide ADA-accessible areas.
- While BYOB (bring your own blanket) works for most able-bodied visitors, consider [also] providing chairs with backs.
- Bathrooms: [It's] best if outdoor bathrooms can be used, but indoor bathrooms may be used with increased ventilation and regulations/control regarding total users in the building at one time. If using outdoor/portable restrooms, ensure ADA bathrooms are provided.
