Analysis of housing construction and design techniques considering biosecurity parameters to mitigate the risk of contagation in the context of COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has exposed some deficiencies in the built environment to mitigate the risk of contagion. In the specific case of single-family homes, the cleaning and disinfection habits applied to avoid contagion have forced the inhabitants to modify or adapt spaces that fulfill this purpose, which were not thought from their design to disinfect people. and objects. To define the current disinfection requirements of single-family homes in a case study carried out in the city of Cuenca-Ecuador, surveys were used to identify the biosecurity habits carried out by the families within the study case, where They recognize aspects such as the transit area from the entrance to the home to the clean part of the house, the area used for disinfection, among others. With these data, a zoning of the areas that an existing home must have and the architectural suggestions to apply in each case was elaborated. A zoning of black or highly contaminated areas, gray 1, gray 2 and white area is proposed in similarity with the protocols used within laboratories, and the design suggestions are based on the relocation of spaces for personal hygiene, disinfection of objects, laundries and access routes.