Vitruvio
International 
journal of 
Architecture 
Technology and 
Sustainability
Volume 5 Is 2

VII

EDITORIAL

2020, what a year it has been. The world has seen 
the worst health crisis in more than a century with 
the Covid-19 pandemic. Public institutions across 
the globe are still facing unprecedented challenges 
in dealing with this global crisis, which scale has 
caught us by surprise. It is fair to say that global 
interconnectivity has certainly contributed to how fast 
the virus has spread and to the scale of the pandemic. 
Though we like to think of our world as technologically 
advanced this pandemic is showing us that we are still 
very much vulnerable to threats that have been known 
to us for a long time. In turn, the Covid-19 pandemic 
has disproportionately affected already vulnerable 
populations around the world whether in developed 
or developing countries. Beyond access to quality 
healthcare other factors have emerged as contributing 
to the spread of the virus as well as creating challenging 
conditions in the pandemic. Dense urban centers 
have emerged as places where the virus has spread 
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socially, at work or while commuting. Dense urban 
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an airborne pandemic due among other things to 
limited open outdoor spaces, socially active lifestyles 
an outdoor air quality. In that context the widespread 
model of dense urban centers as the only model of 
dynamic economic development may need to be re-
evaluated.

This pandemic has in fact brought about a number of 
issues that are being investigated in the current issue 
of Vitruvio.

One of these issues deals with how people interact 
inside buildings and how architectural design can 
reduce the spread of airborne diseases through 
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surface contact and adequate mechanical systems. 
These types of issues are not only relevant for public 
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apartment buildings can be studied in order to address 
the shift in working habits that has occurred in the past 
10 months. As a large number of people have been 

working from home for months it has become clear 
that their living spaces were not originally designed 
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multi-use spaces are interesting concepts to explore 
especially as the trend of working from home at least 
part time is likely to increase in the future.

Another subject discussed deals with providing quality 
public spaces and emphasizing the need for green 
and blue infrastructure in urban areas. These types 
of spaces, including play areas for children, become 
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is very limited. As a broader theme the quality of dense 
urban spaces is especially important as cities remain a 
unique driver in terms of economic growth and social 
aspirations. On the other hand, there seems to be new 
opportunities for people to relocate outside major city 
centers. The trend of working remotely was already 
developed and will continue to grow as it increases 
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on transportation and infrastructures. It can also 
contribute to improve outdoor air quality by reducing 
pollution. This trend may provide opportunities to 
revitalize rural communities in dire need of new 
residents and allow the development or upgrade of 
a series of infrastructures and services. This would 
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urban centers where life overall remains costly.

In the context of students having to shift to a 
completely virtual space for learning this year, we can 
see the emergence of promising technology. In fact, 
VR and AR are providing opportunities for students 
to communicate but also to design in a co-presence 
environment where they can interact in real time with 
their fellow students or their instructor. The use of 
whiteboard applications such as Miro, Concept Board 
or Murals has also brought new opportunities to share 
information in a purely digital environment. In terms 
of pedagogy the past 10 months have shown us that 
digital tools have inaugurated new ways to interact and 
exchange information successfully but it is also clear 
that these tools cannot replace our need and longing 
for face-to-face interaction.

https://doi.org/10.4995/vitruvio-ijats.2020.14826



VIII

As expected with acute challenges the Covid pandemic 
has revealed complacencies and weaknesses in terms 
of infrastructures, resources allocations and social 
behaviors but also shed light on the false expectations 
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part. In some way the Covid pandemic is a condensed 
version in time of the upcoming challenges associated 
with climate change and its impact on future 
generations. In all fairness it is always hard to deal with 
a situation that we have not yet experienced to the 
fullest but nevertheless our current challenges show us 
that the human enterprise is still very much vulnerable 
despite what we would like to think. To conclude on a 
positive note this pandemic has highlighted a number 
of areas related to architecture, urban design and 
construction where there are great opportunities to 
develop design related innovations that will make us 
more resilient.

Olivier Chamel