Resources and Best Practices: COVID-19

05.18.2020

On June 1, AIA issued three new and enhanced tools for reducing risk of COVID-19 transmission in buildings. Click here for AIA's extensive resources related to COVID-19. In the list below, links are in red.

AIA CHICAGO WEBINARS 

View the Coming Together / Working Apart Webinar, held originally on March 24. The webinar features experts in contract law, insurance, employee benefits and other matters that are affecting architects and firm leaders at this time.

View the "Using Mechanic Liens to Get Paid" webinar, held originally on April 7. This webinar by Jeremy Baker of Baker Law - Design & Construction Counsel discusses how architects can use the Mechanic Liens to get paid on Illinois projects.

View the Tech Talks: Conferencing Platforms panel discussion held originally on April 10. This webinar brought together experts to discuss the pros and cons of different online meeting and conferencing platforms.

Legislation Explainers

• Webinar: CARES Act: An introduction to COVID-19 relief passed by US Congress
• Architects' Guide to Business Continuity, from AIA National
• Coronavirus Legislation: Payroll and Self-Employment Tax Credits, by FGMK
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act, by FGMK
• Major Impacts of the CARES Act on Firms and Employees, from AIA national

Practicing Virtually & Working Remotely

• An Architect's Guide to Virtual Practice
• Sample Telecommuting Policy
• AIA national Telework Policy
• Autodesk Extended Access Program: Free access to Autodesk services
• Three firm leaders share how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected business (AIA)
• Guide to Remote Work and Team Management During—and After—COVID-19 (Architect)
• Design in the Time of COVID-19 (Architect)
• Architects Share Best Practices for Working from Home (Architectural Record)
• How to Have a Work-Life Balance in the Remote World (BQE)
• Exploring Remote Work and 'Radical Flexibility' in Architecture With Diana Nicklaus (Archinect)
• Out of Office: Remote Work 101 (ASLA)
• The great reset and our new work life (Building Design + Construction)
• Cushman & Wakefield report examines work-at-home pros and cons (Building Design + Construction)
• A Guide on Remote AXP Supervision (NCARB)

PRACTICE CONSIDERATIONS

• Practice consideration: Manage your architecture firm's risk in response to COVID-19
• Discussion: Architect Standard of Care Relative to Site Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Information on Weathering Recessions 

• Small Firm Exchange
• Contingency Planning 
• Straightforward Advice on Preserving Cash Flow 
• Navigating the Economy: Architects Weather Ebb and Flow of Projects 
• The AIA Foresight Report and navigating through a recession with new business models
• Tips on managing anxiety in the workplace: City of Chicago

Financial Support for Your Firm

• Small Business Association: Low-Interest Disaster Relief Loans for Small Businesses
• City of Chicago Small Business Resiliency Fund: Low-interest loans for small businesses
• Women's Business Development Center (WBDC) Economic Injury Loan Guide
• WBDC Checklist for SBA Economic Injury Loan Applications

Continue Your Continuing Education Online:

• Visit AIAU to browse hundreds of online courses
• Whole Building Design Guide 
• Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC)    
• NCARB self-study                      
• BDCUniversity     
• aecKnowledge                             
• Architect magazine
• Hanley Wood University                         
• Architectural Record     

Health and Safety Information

• Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• World Health Organization (WHO) Recommendations for Mass Gatherings
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• United States of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
• Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center