Changing Space in the Pandemic

Like many people during the COVID 19 Pandemic I have been spending time outside, walking, biking, visiting with friends and even bought a pair of skates to get a break from the strain of lockdown. In Calgary I’ve noticed that our beautiful parks and pathways are busy from the early morning until late into the evening, providing space for everyone to exercise, see friends, spend time alone, and connect with nature. The Pandemic has provided a good opportunity for us all to revisit our relationship with space, nature, air, surface, procession etc. things that maybe a lot of people just took for granted. It has as well, underlined the many powerful benefits of being outdoors and in nature. The same benefits can be acheived on a smaller but no less important scale by designing to expand our experience of interior spaces to include the exterior context. This can be done by use of materials, scale, natural light , an operable window and it’s placement, for instance to see the horizon or a garden and the planning of spaces for a variety of different experiences as you move through them. Below is a photo of social distancing at the baseball game last summer.

social distancing on Nose hill

Skating rinks are busy into the early hours of morning

Bleechers are empty

New Skating trail in North Glenmore Park to accomodate the huge number of park users in the winter