July 30, 2020

Shea Links: July

At Shea, we pride ourselves on staying on top of what’s happening in design news. It helps us keep tabs on what’s fresh, inspiring, and happening in the world—and we make a few headlines of our own, too. Here are some recent articles delving into design, experience, and what’s buzzing in our community:
“Shea Principal Tanya Spaulding Featured on Transforming Cities Podcast” – Shea:
Shea Principal Tanya Spaulding sits down with Authentic Form & Function to discuss her career and history at Shea, as well as how Shea integrates every facet of design into our work.
“Dining in the Streets” – Restaurant Development + Design:
A look at different solutions for outdoor dining around the country, from city streets to suburban parking lots, as restaurants adapt to accommodate Coronavirus restrictions. Some solutions include parking spaces turned into dining areas like boat slips, carefully decorated canopies, closed streets, plant and greenery dividers, and tents. The piece also notes additional logistics that must be taken into account: mosquito netting, fans, creating energy without density, additional service stations, restroom access, signage, and more.
“5 Ways the Workplace Must Adapt to the Coronavirus Era” – Architectural Digest:
Architectural Digest examines how offices will change for good after the pandemic, focusing on office culture, design, dining, restrooms, and air quality. The focus will be on employees—what they need and what they want, building office culture even if people have to be apart. Within the office, spaces will be reconfigured if not redesigned (particularly community and dining spaces, as well as incorporating no-touch and self-cleaning restrooms), and technology will take center stage. Finally, this piece looks at air-quality ventilation, with the three pillars of containing virus spread in the air being mask-wearing, pumping fresh air into buildings, and air-cleaning via high-efficiency filters.
“The Restaurant of the Future 2.0” – FSR:
A foodservice and management consulting firm breaks down how the future restaurant will look, feel, and operate, updating their original predictions as we continue to learn more about and envision the world post-COVID. This piece covers everything from menu items (easily executable items that travel well) to flexibility in every operational aspect. It also goes into new options for contactless operations and other technology, innovative safety and sanitation choices, new ways to drive revenue, and more.
With Robot Deliveries and Outdoor Tents, Campus Dining Will Be Very Different” – New York Times:
The New York Times looks at how campus dining will look in the fall, with pop-up restaurants and takeout stations supplementing regular operations to help serve more students. Furthermore, self-serve stations will disappear along with condiment stations, and schools are planning for pivots as the situation continues to progress. Technology is another factor; schools are adding robots for food delivery and in the kitchen. They’re looking to still give a dining experience to students, even without the traditional dining hall, and are bolstering safety standards in the back-of-house with PPE and new rules.
“Shea-Designed Central NE to Open in Northeast Minneapolis” – Shea:
Central NE is open in Northeast Minneapolis, and the media is buzzing. Check here for all the news.
“How Food Halls Are Evolving in the Wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic” – Restaurant Hospitality:
Food halls have been on the rise over the past few years, but are as far from post-COVID-friendly as it gets, with communal seating, crowded vendor spaces, and lines snaking through. This piece looks at how they can adapt to stay relevant and even thrive in the next stage. The real trick is to replicate the social experience while staying safe, and it’s forcing operators to get creative and really embrace that aspect in new ways. These tactics include using any outdoor space for dining, allowing for contactless pickup and grocery purchases from various vendors, hosting outdoor events, carefully controlled occupancies, tableside service, and more. And some food halls are taking advantage of the closure to reconcept and rotate tenants.
“Smaller Footprints, More Drive Thru: Restaurant Design in a COVID World” – QSR:
This piece looks at how design that prioritizes off-site dining has become a necessity since the onset of COVID, whether it’s via pickup areas for takeout or delivery people or improved drive-thru lanes. This will be a long-term effect on design as people have become more accustomed to takeout than ever, and many continue to be trepidatious about eating in restaurants. Many eateries will pivot to a smaller restaurant footprint, instead using additional land space to improve off-premises operations, while existing restaurants may be looking into how to most effectively use parking lots and any additional spaces. Along with this comes opportunities for signage and branding to connect new guest needs with the brand and product.
“Will the Restaurant-Retail Trend Return After COVID?” – FSR:
Before the onset of the virus, retail stores were incorporating foodservice in new ways (including Restoration Hardware, Crate & Barrel, and more). This piece looks at the intersection of experiential shopping and dining—how it emphasized convenience as well as creating an overall vibe in a shopping experience—as well as its potential for the future. It could be a revenue driver to help bolster both restaurants and retail, as long as it’s done properly and safely, and could even be done via takeout based on restaurant best practices.
“Salute Dental Named a Cool Office by the Business Journal” – Shea:
The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal’s featured Salute Dental, a ground-up Shea-designed building, as a Cool Office.