Concurrents – Environmental Psychology: Microbes and Design

by Sally Augustin, Ph.D. | August 21st, 2017

This seems to be the year that microbes will finally get the attention they “deserve” from designers. But the “Year of the Microbe” has been in the making for some time. In 2010, in a Places article (“Viral Cities”), Thomas Fisher discussed urban planning, design and the possibility of disease epidemics. Among his most interesting points: “it [effective design] may involve our paying more attention to those elements of buildings – door knobs, light switches, restroom faucets and the like – that we now know are points of contact for transmitting disease. Here, too, both old customs and high tech are relevant. Hand shaking used to be a sign of solidarity among members of the same (viral) community – something we would do well to remember when we greet strangers. And motion detection and remote sensing technology — now often viewed as a convenience — may become necessities as we …