A review on architectural guidelines to safely reopen buildings in light of COVID-19 in the United States: establishing future research opportunities

COVID-19 has caused public health and economic crises in many countries including the United States. Engineering control strategies are cited by leading agencies as the second effective recommendation after virus elimination to safer reopen buildings during the pandemic. This paper systematically surveyed and synthesized highly cited architectural guidelines in the U.S. published by leading agencies. As reviewed in this paper, all reviewed architectural strategies agreed on the importance of increasing outdoor air ventilation and maintaining social distancing, without specific consideration of the potential impact of these strategies on other aspects of buildings and occupants. Thus, this paper provides foundational knowledge for future studies around safer buildings during future pandemics and suggests conducting more pre/post-occupancy evaluations that incorporate human-centered studies and building performance analysis, using qualitative and quantitative methods to support various building stakeholders in making more informed decisions around recommendations to positively and holistically impact occupants and buildings.