How Architects Can Support COVID-19 Relief Efforts

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, many architects in New York and beyond have leveraged their expertise and technology to provide support for those in need. Learn more about how other firms and professionals are already contributing to COVID-19 relief efforts here. Here are a few key ways you can get involved:

Healthcare Facilities

• AIA has launched a COVID-19 Alternative Care Sites Assessment Tool, which provides a checklist highlighting important considerations when evaluating buildings to be used as temporary healthcare facilities during the pandemic.
• AIA is asking architects, designers, engineers, and facility owners to contribute current, in-progress, or completed COVID-19 projects to their COVID19 ArchMap.
• The US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Department of Health and Human Services have compiled materials to support the creation of alternate care sites.
• Please Note: New York State does not have a Good Samaritan Law. Be sure to review AIA’s Good Samaritan State Statute Compendium, which also includes a Volunteer Liability Guide.

PPE Manufacturing and Materials Donation

• Read the FDA’s FAQ on 3D printing medical devices and accessories during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The NYC Economic Development Corporation is seeking manufacturers who can create PPE and medical supplies from scratch, as well companies looking to donate materials.
• Donate to #GetUsPPE, a nation-wide organization that matches PPE donations with those in need.
• Donate 3D printing materials to university architecture departments in New York, which are using their existing fabrication facilities for the production and assembly of PPE, particularly face shields. Many schools are having trouble accessing materials such as PETG plastic and polylactic acid.
• NYC has set up a COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund to support healthcare workers and essential staff, local small businesses, displaced hourly workers, and vulnerable New Yorkers.

Visit our COVID-19 Resources page, our hub for staying connected and operational during the pandemic.