Architectural Factors for Infection and Disease Control

This edited collection explores disease transmission and the ways that  the designed environment has promoted or limited its spread. It  discusses the many design factors that can be used for infection and  disease control through lenses of history, public health, building  technology, design, and education.

This book calls on designers  to consider the role of the built environment as the primary source of  bacterial, viral, and fungal transfers through fomites, ventilation  systems, and overcrowding and spatial organization. Through 19 original  contributions, it provides an array of perspectives to understand how  the designed environment may offer a reprieve from disease. The authors  build a historical foundation of infection and disease, using examples  ranging from lazarettos to leprosy centers to show how the ability to  control infection and disease has long been a concern for humanity. The  book goes on to discuss disease propagation, putting forth a variety of  ideas to control the transmission of pathogens, including environmental  design strategies, pedestrian dynamics, and open space. Its final  chapters serve as a prospective way forward, focusing on COVID-19 and  the built environment in a post-pandemic world.

Written for  students and academics of architecture, design, and urban planning, this  book ignites creative action on the ways to design our built  environment differently and more holistically.

Please note that  research on COVID-19 has exponentially grown since this volume was  written in October 2020. References cited reflect the evolving nature of  research studies at that time.