PERSPECTIVES

We are proud to announce the promotion of Ruthie Kuhlman to Associate at RODE Architects. Ruthie has been with RODE since 2017 and brings a passion for thoughtful contextual design via her experience in museum, hospitality and multi-family residential projects. Her dedication to the firm and design expertise has propelled the firm's capabilities and successfully impacted a multitude of completed and ongoing projects, such as 1515 Commonwealth, 282 Bremen, The Mezz, and The Meetinghouse.

Ruthie is a Registered Architect in MA. Ruthie holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University and a Master of Architecture from the Boston Architectural College. Prior to joining RODE, she worked at Cambridge Seven Associates and ADD Inc. She is also a member of the adjunct faculty at the BAC. Congratulations, Ruthie!

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Almost four months ago, the way in which we lived, worked, and in particular, socialized dramatically and suddenly changed. The Covid-19 pandemic has ushered in a new era of social distancing and safety precautions. Amongst the hardest-hit industries were restaurants and dining culture. Before the pandemic, we were entering into a golden age of food, restaurants and dining. Chef-owned and -operated restaurants proliferated while fast food culture dissipated. People were going out to eat at sit-down restaurants more than ever as high quality, well-prepared food became more accessible and sought after. Sparked by a fascination with food culture, restaurant design was focused on being more engaging and open.

At RODE, many of our clients were pushing the boundaries for open kitchen designs (Fox & The Knife), informal social seating (Southern Proper), and food hall configurations (Coppersmith). When restaurants around the world were mandated to close doors, chefs and owners quickly had to pivot towards delivery and takeout services, minimal staff-to-customer interaction, and the ability to effectively prepare food in as sterile an area as possible. For some restaurants, these requirements were not realistic, given a number of factors including layout, size, kitchen enclosure, and ability to isolate customer pick-up. How do we design restaurants to be adaptable to the current social-distancing culture while preparing them for any future crises?

There will likely be three primary factors to consider:

Maximize Flexibility and Adaptability of the Space

Seating arrangements and types need to be adaptable and movable. Southern Proper (pictured left) is a good example of modular seating. Fixed banquets, booths, and extended bar seating might need to be reconsidered as movable seating pods or be designed with barriers or enclosures to isolate each dining party. Tables that can be adjusted as two tops, four tops, or combined to be six or eight tops might be more commonly used.

Outdoor seating will also be an important element to incorporate in all restaurant

designs. One consideration might be to dedicate an area as an indoor/outdoor flex zone with a deployable enclosure. Dorchester Brewing Co. (pictured right) is utilizing their roof deck to increase their space while instituting for proper distancing. The exterior portion can be tented, allowing it to be utilized all year round. Overall, the goal should be to allow as much flexibility as possible for seating arrangements so that the capacity of the restaurant and the isolation of each dinner party can be controlled. RODE has been working with local establishments to strategize plan for re-opening their establishments post-Covid-19. The plans below show how space can be reorganized to properly social distance sections and patrons.

Privatize the Dining Experience

Before Covid-19, there was a significant paradigm shift towards communal dining experiences, whether that be communal table seating, food halls, or an emphasis on liquor/kitchen bar seating. The most obvious shift in dining philosophy will probably be focused on the reduction of these seating types. Bars, in particular, have commonly been social hot spots, commonly supplemented by standing areas and drink rails to condense as many patrons as possible. The design of bars as a central social element of a restaurant might be reconsidered entirely. Should we design bars now in the same way we design the kitchen, as less of a social gathering node and more of a functional component of the BOH (back of house)? One consideration could be to design smaller “bars” or drink rails that could either be socially distanced or movable.

Control the Sterile Environment and Avoid Customer Contamination

One of the most important factors involved in designing a safe dining experience will be the ability to control the sterile environment in the BOH, It will be imperative to protect the restaurant staff as much as possible, in order to prevent any spread of contamination. This might include more touchless payment options, separate circulation paths for wait staff, and dedicated bathroom circulation for guests. RODE designed the restaurant plan below to help our client address separate circulation paths for customers and servers, as well as take sanitation into consideration.

Open kitchens and kitchen bar seating will have to be reworked. One idea might be to have a large window that looks into the kitchen, like one utilized at French Laundry by Snohetta in Napa Valley (pictured left). The window provides protection while also preserving the interactive dining experience. Another consideration might be to isolate the dish pit and bathrooms as a dirty zone and provide dishwashers and cleaning staff with adequate PPE to protect themselves. We might also design towards single-use bathrooms with a dedicated disinfectant station.

If done correctly, following Covid-19 safety precautions and strategizing restaurant design to conform to new standards should not have a negative effect on the dining experience. The new normal will seem strange in the beginning, as with any new system, but restaurateurs, chefs, architects, and designers are coming together like never before, to ensure dining out is a pleasant and safe experience for everyone.

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We, at RODE Architects, are saddened by the recent passing of Dean Marvin Malecha. We wish to offer our condolences to Marvin’s family and his friends and colleagues whom he touched. Marv had a profound impact on so many people and we pause here to remember that our tenure on land is brief, but what we do carries on. Marvin was an apostle of the design education and its many benefits.

As many know, RODE can trace its origins to a ‘Fundamentals’ studio at NC State’s College of Design, pictured here at Leazar Hall. Fundamentals meant we started with basic principles and took up design learning through a variety of media types--color, light, drawing, graphics, and the environment.  Eric and I met in that studio and in many ways, carry on with a spirit of integration and collaboration across many disciplines. Dean Malecha was a perfect steward for this pedagogy.

Marvin took over just as we were finishing, but I knew him as my connection to the school as an alumni. He was always curious, passionate, and proud of the NC State grads making it in Boston. Thanks Marv, you will be missed.

- Kevin Deabler, AIA,

 Principal, RODE Architects

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This March, as Covid-19 started to take its grip on the nation, there was a grassroots call-to-action asking those with 3D printing capabilities to produce protective equipment to those in the medical field. RODE, enthusiastic to help, virtually “came together” to design, produce, and donate PPE to those in need.

A “RODE Response Task Force” was established, and data and designs were strategized via video chats and phone calls. Just as it is when designing a building, many factors had to be considered:

• Porosity – Is the printer's PLA (polylactic acid) too porous to be protective as a mask?  
• Cleanability – Can it be easily sprayed and wiped cleaned?  
• Breathability – Does it protect, while allowing users to easily get air?  
• Moldability – Will it easily mold to different face and head shapes?

From their research, the team discovered it was more beneficial to print face shields instead of masks. “The face shields are flexible and easy to fit around all head shapes. Acting as a headband for your forehead, the shield allows a piece of plastic to clip into a frame, making sterilizing or replacing the shield component quick and simple. When used in tandem with other PPE, the shields are perfect for providing medical professionals with an additional layer of protection,” said Anna Arnot, Architectural Designer at RODE

Next, the team researched open source 3D print files for face shields and selected a shield created by Professor Jenny Sabin at Cornell University. Archimedia generously donated a 3D printer to the cause, and RODE began production.

The endeavor has been a big success. Alex Zee, Architectural Designer at RODE, provided his girlfriend a shield, enabling her to spend a week by her grandmother’s bedside in a Covid unit. The shield, used in conjunction with a mask, successfully protected her from the virus (she tested negative for Covid-19 the following week).

Currently, Alex is overseeing the production and assembly of 300 shields for UMass Medical. The DCU Center in Worcester will serve as an emergency clinic and our shields will protect health care workers and volunteers while working with patients. RODE is also hoping to provide other outlets with shields, such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities in hopes we can help more individuals fighting the good fight.

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