In quarantine, but not in sadness. Architects and designers about remote work. Part 1

In the first part of the material - Grisha Zotov, Dmytro Sivak, Denis Sokolov, Zhanna Kiselyova and Andriy Antonenko.

The second and third parts:

In quarantine, but not in sadness. Architects and designers about remote work. Part 2

In quarantine, but not in sadness. Architects and designers about remote work. Part 3

 

Grisha Zotov

Architect, Architectural Prescription

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Do you follow WHO's instructions — wash your hands, disinfect surfaces, stay home and avoid unnecessary contact with anyone?

Yes, all for the sake of people at risk. There is a strict quarantine in the Netherlands, almost everything is closed. At the same time, these friends from the risk group hang out in groups on the street in front of supermarkets.

Have you switched to working from home?

So.

Bloomberg writes that working from home has turned into an extra hour or two of work a day for many (USA and Western Europe). Have you started working more?

I started working less because I have a two-year-old daughter. My wife and I take turns working or when the little girl is sleeping.

What does your workplace look like? Have you somehow set it up for long-term work from home?

Transported everything necessary from the office to home. Theoretically, the efficiency can be 100%.

Has the quarantine affected your work?

Of course, it had an impact. The real estate market reacts instantly even to small crises. Many projects are suspended. But work with the Amsterdam municipality, on the contrary, is gaining momentum.

What are the biggest challenges you face working from home and how do you overcome them?

The most difficult thing is to organize a 9-hour work day when there are children and pets. From the point of view of working with a team, there are Zoom and Skype. Work continues and the quality of information within the team has improved. Remotely, people formulate their thoughts better and more qualitatively!

Did you have to master/implement new tools for communication and planning?

The new ones are not, but they began to use Zoom, Skype and other messengers more. Our server is already in the cloud.

Has the current situation inspired you for new ideas of design, architecture, which will become a new reality in the future?

OUI bien sur!

How do you deal with distractions (children, relatives, refrigerator, etc.)?

I play with them, wash their butts, prepare food. And generally enjoying the extra time we can spend together!

How did you use the extra free time (if it appeared)?

He hasn't appeared yet.

What do you do in your spare time? How do you deal with sadness from self-isolation?

Work and IPA.

 

Dmytro Sivak

Designer, Sivak+Partners

Odesa, Ukraine

Have you switched to working from home?

Since everyone has now gone home, I can safely work in the office alone, without breaking the quarantine (the studio is next to the house). An empty office, where you can turn on loud music and walk in house slippers, has its own post-apocalyptic romance.

All team members sit at home with studio computers and sometimes even chairs, studio flowers.

Bloomberg writes that working from home has turned into an extra hour or two of work a day for many (USA and Western Europe). Is this about you?

This extra hour goes to cooking buckwheat and constant chatiks

How did the quarantine affect your work?

Most of the constructions have stopped, but the number of projects has increased. People sit at home longer and pay attention to how joyless a bad interior can make life.

What are the biggest challenges you face in this way of working?

It is very difficult to walk around an empty office and crack empty work chairs with a whip.

Did you have to master/implement new tools for communication and planning?

So far, no messenger can surpass the convenience of Telegram. We tried everything on the market of corporate messengers and online conferences, but the holy trinity of WhatsApp, Telegram and the sinful Viber is more convenient for builders, customers and us.

Do you keep in touch with colleagues/customers via video conferencing?

Half of our projects are located in other cities or countries, and in this regard, the quarantine has not changed anything in our work - we still communicate with a client 1000 kilometers away and send each other silly stickers in Telegram.

No matter how convenient it is to work from home, humanity with its high-speed Internet may have switched to remote work many times, but studios and offices will never disappear. After the quarantine, many people will even be happy to return to the office.

What programs do you use to communicate?

I dream of a world where there is only one messenger. But for now, sometimes you even have to use the Skype file exchange, because it perfectly helps to darken the screen.

How do you deal with distractions (children, relatives, refrigerator, etc.)?

I play sports, but I'm worried that after quarantine I might not recognize some of the sweet tooth team members.

How did you use the extra free time?

Enjoyed a photo session.

 

What do you do in your spare time? How do you deal with sadness from self-isolation?

I love architecture and design and have never considered it a job, so in my spare time I'll happily pick up a book on trendy urbanism to have something to argue with the hipsters about.

 

Denis Sokolov

Designer, SVOYA studio

Dnipro, Ukraine

Have you switched to working from home?

Yes, we almost immediately decided to send our entire studio to work remotely. In principle, 70% of all studio work takes place online. Almost all clients value their time and our time. Chats, conferences, calendars have long been integrated into SVOYA's everyday life.

Bloomberg writes that working from home has turned into an extra hour or two of work a day for many (USA and Western Europe). Is this about you?

We probably have an hour or two less per day. Before you were at home with the children only in the morning and evening, but now all day. They understand that you are at home, they demand more attention to themselves. This, of course, pleases, but they definitely take a couple of extra hours a day.

What does your workplace look like? Have you somehow set it up for long-term work from home?

We never planned a special room for an office in our house. And in general, they never wanted to bring the work process home. The house is a place for rest. In the general space of our house there is a huge "community" table that unites us all. Therefore, without thinking for a long time, we added another function to this table - a cabinet (more about house of designers from SVOYA studio, read here).

How did the quarantine affect your work?

Many construction processes have stopped. First of all, it is related to the purchase of materials. Due to the limited work of shops and suppliers, it is now difficult to deliver them.

Orders have not decreased, as many projects have been going on for more than one year. But even during the quarantine, we start new projects. Designing takes a long time before construction begins, so now is the time to create concepts online.

I saw that you organize free consultations online. Is it a way to find new customers or a way to spend the free time?

This is a way to somehow help people in this difficult time. We have an intellectual resource that we are now ready to share for free. We gladly try to help people create a good environment and atmosphere around them and survive the quarantine. We are not trying to make money from this situation, we think it is wrong. As several days of consultations have shown, there are many willing. Some could not afford it, some did not have free time. The earth is round. And we are sure that if there is an opportunity, we should help each other. We can help in this way - and we do.

What are the biggest challenges you face working from home and how do you overcome them?

Limited contacts with suppliers and contractors. Well, actually, the supply and purchase of materials. But we are still trying to find solutions.

Did you have to master/implement new tools for communication and planning?

As I said, all contacts have been moved to an online format. Since our studio works all over Ukraine and beyond, we have repeatedly faced project management with full remote control before. Therefore, we do not see anything complicated in this.

What programs do you use for this?

Conferences: Skype/Zoom.

All kinds of chats: Telegram/Viber/Facebook Messenger.

To demonstrate 3D sketches online: Sketchfab.

Has the current situation inspired you for new ideas of design, architecture, which will become a new reality in the future?

For now, I think it is too early to talk about it. But the topics of design, which will help fight the virus, have already been repeatedly discussed with colleagues. Both in object design and in architectural structures.

How do you deal with distractions (children, relatives, refrigerator, etc.)?

We don't fight. He decided to take them as allies. This is a great opportunity to spend time with the children at home. Chat with them much longer than usual.

How did you use the extra free time (if it appeared)? What do you do in your spare time? How do you fight boredom from self-isolation?

In the evenings, we create online conferences with friends. Gathering friends together in this way turned out to be much easier than in person.

We play board games with the children. And finally, it's time to review the list of desired movies.

 

Zhanna Kiselyova

Architect, JK Lab

Odesa, Ukraine

Do you follow the instructions of the Ministry of Health - wash your hands, disinfect surfaces, do not leave the house and do not contact anyone without an urgent need, do not use public transport, do not meet with friends, relatives?

Of course, I wash my hands, disinfect my phones, reduced contacts by 99%.

Have you switched to working from home?

The company and I discussed how to proceed in the studio on the very first day. I was determined to deliver all computers to homes and work from home. Almost everyone was in favor, but there were also a couple of people who wanted and want to continue working in the office. We're in the process of moving into our new space, so everyone's excited to go into interim home mode. I work from home and go to construction several times a week by bike along the sea. Masks and gloves are used on the construction site, I scare the builders with our black studio mask.

Bloomberg writes that working from home has turned into an extra hour or two of work a day for many (USA and Western Europe). Is this about you?

It is more often about us, but only because of spending time on communication. They did not work less, it seems, only more. I worry for my colleagues that it is difficult for them to regulate working and personal time, if there are no children, work can absorb everything that is available to her. We're talking about home mode as a super workout for focus and awareness.

What does your workplace look like? Have you somehow set it up for long-term work from home?

My workplace is as follows: wherever there is a connection, a telephone. This is me, for the photo, I tried to depict my ideal workplace, at the dining table. I also have an alternative desk, but it doesn't fit all my goodies, so I position myself differently every day. And I really like this ritual of "establishing a new office": it results in a migration of the workspace.

How did the quarantine affect your work?

All constructions are ongoing, clients have not frozen anything, for long-running projects, a month or two of quarantine is just the right time to distract yourself from everything that gets in the way and focus on one important thing. I see advantages in this.

Did you have to master/implement new tools for communication and planning?

Gliders with the team are held in Zoom. Very soulful and composed, we invest in an hour or a half, almost like in real life. We carry out work on large objects in online mode. We laugh that the author's supervision takes place in the "stories" of Instagram.

We maintain communication with all mainly messengers. In the video, not all clients have "ripened up" yet, but I think they will get used to it in another week.

Has the current situation inspired you for new ideas of design, architecture, which will become a new reality in the future?

The current situation inspired us to think that we will finally move on to renovating and re-using what we have, our heritage. Well, I wanted to help figure out how to make your living/working space comfortable and functional.

How do you deal with distractions (children, relatives, refrigerator, etc.)?

Distracting factors. I don't fight them, I just allow myself to be distracted once. If I catch myself twice, I double the focus. It's like meditation: it's important to notice the "departure" and return without feeling guilty.

How did you use the extra free time?

I cuddle with the children, stretch, take things apart and clean. I enjoy being at home, I'm a homebody at heart who has transformed into an extrovert.

What do you do in your spare time?

Leisure. I do yoga with my children, we draw or do their English lessons, we dance, read, I go to the sea by bike - rarely, but these short forays are very energizing.

How do you deal with sadness from self-isolation?

I should never plunge into sadness, such a busy schedule that I still don't see where to squeeze sadness in there.

 

Andriy Antonenko

Head of UVT group

Kyiv, Ukraine

Do you follow the instructions of the Ministry of Health - wash your hands, disinfect surfaces, do not leave the house and do not contact anyone without an urgent need, do not use public transport, do not meet with friends, relatives?

By 90%. Everyone who needs to use transport sits at home, those who drive their own or live nearby can come to the office. Currently, 10% of people are in the office, but from Monday everyone will be at home. We wash our hands, brush our teeth, do not hug.

Bloomberg writes that working from home has turned into an extra hour or two of work a day for many (USA and Western Europe). Is this about you?

We had everyone working remotely, individually and in small groups, but this is the first time on such a large scale. There are problems, of course, we need to pass more communications through ourselves. Debugging process. I think everything will be fine in a week.

Did you somehow specially arrange a place for yourself to work from home?

I didn't make any arrangements. My laptop and tablet are always with me. I need a table, chair, internet and socket.

How did the quarantine affect your work (construction work stopped, the need to leave for construction work disappeared, orders decreased, projects were frozen, the nature of work changed, etc.)? 

It hasn't made an impact yet, but I'm sure it will. Not so much a quarantine as a crisis in the country. Many new resumes appeared. We are looking for people to join the team.

What are the biggest challenges you face working from home and how do you overcome them?

Connection, communication, rallies. We decide simply - we go forward. The biggest problem is the need to make a paper product, something needs to be printed and handed over to the customer, something needs to be taken to the examination and work there. Everyone is a little unusual. But I am sure that soon there will be full electronic document circulation.

What programs do you use to communicate?

Zoom, Skype, Viber, Slask, WhatsApp, Telegram, Bim 360, regular mail - each client likes his own.

Has the current situation inspired you for new ideas of design, architecture, which will become a new reality in the future?

We haven't had time yet, we are just adjusting the work.

How do you deal with distractions (children, relatives, refrigerator, etc.)?

I go to the office - it's empty.

How do you deal with sadness from self-isolation?

I don't understand the term "sadness" yet. I hope he doesn't come.