ABSTRACT
A population’s trust in its government and experts underpins national cohesion. The COVID-19 pandemic saw major protests from crowds over lockdown policies, and many citizens refused vaccination. Much of the concern, stress and anxiety felt during the pandemic related to how safe people perceived themselves to be in the buildings they live and work in. Many feared going to hospital, to work or sending children to school because they believed that they may get COVID indoors there. Were they right? Many modern buildings are conditioned with air-blown Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems. Aerosol transmission of the virus is now acknowledged to be the main cause of inter-personal infections. Do HVAC systems actually spread the virus? Do the proposed fixes to disinfecting these systems work in practice? Would opening a window work better for purging viral loads? What do professional bodies advise? Are they to be trusted? Do people rather trust their own common-sense understandings of the psychological stresses, health threats and options they face? Will modified Business-as-Usual approaches be enough? Is radical new design thinking needed for genuinely healthier buildings? The implications of such questions are discussed and it is concluded that resilient buildings must have opening windows.
