Recognition and prioritization of flexible design strategies in student dormitories during respiratory disease outbreaks

This study aimed to address the evolving needs of student dormitories during and after the COVID-19 pandemic by employing flexible strategies to optimize the use of these buildings during respiratory disease outbreaks. Initially, the relationship between architecture and respiratory infections was examined using the descriptive-analytical method and library research, and the operational spaces impact on airborne transmissions was identified. Subsequently, a conceptual model for flexible design was developed. A questionnaire was then distributed amongst architecture experts, and the results were compared through the Friedman test and Shannon’s entropy to prioritize flexible design strategies for dormitories during quarantine. Amongst these strategies, ‘segregation of space’ had the highest impact on the operational spaces of dormitories. Generally, the priorities of employing flexible strategies on dormitory spaces are as follows: ‘privatizing wet spaces’, ‘converting communal rooms into suites’, ‘splitting suites’, ‘creating screening spaces’, and ‘designing hierarchical access’. Next, a case study was conducted on the current dormitory of the Iran University of Science and Technology, and a proposed dormitory was presented based on the prioritized strategies. Finally, the current and the suggested dormitory were compared with space syntax criteria, including connectivity, depth and integration, and the pandemic responsiveness of the new plan was evaluated.