Publisher’s Message: June 2021

The new med/surg unit has been completed at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton, Mass. / Photo courtesy of HED

On May 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask indoors or outdoors. In our industry, a lot of events are now being advertised with the words, “in-person with limited capacity.” Much of the work (specifically construction) that was on hold has now commenced, as you’ll read in the following pages, and life might just be getting back to a “new normal.” Yes, I used that phrase. It’s hard not to. We will be returning to a new something…new office, new school, new job site. You name it. Every person and place has been affected by this pandemic.

Anastasia Barnes

John Fowler uses the phrase in his article on page 18. He points out that, even though we are able to go back to in-person doctor visits, “healthcare organizations expect 20-40% of their patient visits will be conducted virtually depending on the specialty,” and he asks a good question: “If physicians are on site at a clinic or hospital, do they need to be in the same area as their in-person visits or can they utilize space that is more remote from the highly valuable patient care zones?”  Designers are being tasked with coming up with creative solutions to accommodate these types of new requests from a variety of clients. SDI Architecture has seen an increase in demand for workspace modifications. Some of its clients are having to modify space “to satisfy a new hybrid style of work: collaborating in the office while individual work is done at home.”  Read the full story on page 39.

I’m proud to say this is our fourth issue that includes our J.E.D.I. section. Danei Cesario, architect at SOM, founder of WALLEN + daub, and member of High-Profile’s J.E.D.I. editorial committee, recently conducted an interview with three professionals that are involved with Dark Matter University and its mission. I encourage you to turn to page 33 to learn more about this unique organization.

HP’s editor, Emily Langner, recently attended Urban Land Institute’s virtual Spring Meeting, where she had the opportunity to hear speakers from all across the country discuss topics such as social sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and ways to address climate change. In her article on page 30, she shares some insightful takeaways from the three-day event, which was largely centered around how we as an industry are moving through the pandemic and toward the future.

Next month’s focus is on Life Sciences, a hot market in New England! July’s edition also includes AEC industry awards, and who doesn’t love awards season?

I hope you enjoy this issue as much as we loved publishing it!

Enjoy the read,

Anastasia Barnes

Read HP’s June 2021 issue now!