Despite skyrocketing COVID-19 cases, last month’s ‘Freedom Day’, as it was dubbed, went ahead as planned. With all restrictions lifted, it was rechristened ‘disaster day’ by businesses across the nation, who had to reduce hours or shut entirely due to a lack of staff – either from isolating or from catching the dreaded virus. The response from 19th July has undoubtedly confirmed the long-term change that we’ve all been examining of late, and things certainly aren’t looking ‘normal’.

In this month’s issue, we look at the leisure sector and how interiors are set to change in a post-COVID world. On page 24, David Rhodes, Managing Director at Paragon Carpet Tiles, shares his predictions of how leisure interiors will alter after the pandemic. In this article, he enlightens: “Coronavirus will always be around, so spaces must adapt accordingly.” David also discloses why many public buildings will continue to make use of movable carpet tiles and talks about the “very real concern” of ‘reopening anxiety’.

Elsewhere in this month’s issue, Radical Materials Director, Nick Corlett, explains how the pandemic has called for “effective, robustly-tested products that are capable of delivering a genuinely meaningful level of efficacy against harmful microorganisms”. On page 32, he explains: “The soaring demand for antimicrobial materials over the past 18 months has seen a significant number of non-compliant products enter the market,” and voices what architects and specifiers need to consider.

ON THE COVER:
The Global Flora Conservatory was designed by the American architecture firm Kennedy & Violich Architecture (KVA Matx) in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team at Wellesley College.  

Rebecca Kemp
Editor

rebecca@crossplatformmedia.co.uk