As the coronavirus spread continues, a lot of industries stand affected, and this includes the interior design + build space in India. To understand its impact and what the future holds, it is important to understand the risks associated and create a framework to manage the situation going forward.
So, what has changed in the last few weeks?
1. All project sites in-progress have come to a grinding halt.
2. The migrant labour on which our industry thrives has returned home.
3. The supply chain for materials is disrupted.
4. Ongoing sites may get affected /fall into dis-repair due to work being left unattended.
5. There will be delays in handing over sites even after the lockdown has been lifted.
What are we doing?
1. The first step was to ensure all our clients felt secure about the situation and we assured them that their dream homes and offices are in safe hands and shall get delivered once things get better.
2. We ensured our backbone, the migrant labour, was safe and well prepared for the months ahead. This included making any advance payments or payments that may have been due.
3. We developed a framework to continue work from home on ongoing projects, ensuring we are better prepared with designs/plans once sites open up.
4. Focusing on providing design services via video calls to home-owners who may want to start execution as soon as the situation is stable and the lockdown ends.
What do we intend to do after the lockdown eases?
It is essential that certain rules are put in place to ensure the smooth and safe flow of work once sites open and people begin to move about. These are some of the measures we, at Hipcouch, intend to put into action once site execution begins.
1. The Design team shall mostly operate from home and conduct design meetings with clients and the Execution team using video calls to share design ideas and discuss technical drawings.
2. The Design team shall also arrange physical samples to be sent to the client’s home through the execution team at site.
3. All sample surfaces shall be sanitized before the same is handed over to the client. Material selection shall be done via pictures/video calls.
4. The execution team will be subject to regular temperature checks and a daily logbook shall be maintained.
5. Execution team may restrict its visit to the site to once a week to give out instructions and check the progress and quality of work at the site. All travel will be undertaken using non-public transport.
6. While doing so, the team shall be provided with PPE’s like gloves, mask, face screen and sanitizer.
7. When off-site, the team will manage site progress and procurement remotely via calls, video calls, chat and pictures.
8. As much as possible, item may be built off-site and transported to be assembled on-site, thereby minimizing the time spent by labour & execution team on-site.
9. All materials to be delivered on-site will be dropped off outside the buildings ( and follow all protocols set by the buildings) and the execution team / labour team on-site shall sanitise and the bring material to site.
10. The labour at site is the most critical to manage. It is important that the team sizes are kept to smaller groups, which will allow them to work simultaneously with a good distance between themselves and ensure minimal contact.
11. A logbook will be maintained of all the people working on-site and visiting the site. Their temperatures shall be recorded & a daily report will be sent.
12. PPE’s shall be enforced which will include gloves, masks, face screen and sanitizers for all labour onsite.
13. Rules of conduct shall be set, wherein, each labour will gear up in the PPE’s before entering the site and sanitize their hands.
14. Rules will also be put into place for using toilets while on-site.
15. A separate cleaner may be employed on each site to ensure surfaces, materials and other areas of the site are always dis-infected / kept as clean as possible & logbooks are maintained and updated.
16. Any labour with any noted symptoms will be kept off-site and labour living in the same setting will be asked to quarantine and a new team will be put into action.
17. In addition to the above, it is essential to propose a project schedule with the altered approach to execution and update the client so as to set realistic delivery expectations.
18. The schedule shall be discussed and tweaked to align with the client’s and the team’s best interests in mind.
19. A lockdown of this kind with large scale migration and disrupted supply chain may cause surge in labour and material rates due to lack of resources/people/movement of goods.
20. It is difficult to completely assess its impact at the moment, but it will helpful to be cognizant and align the client with any such discrepancies that may crop up.
Our advice to clients who may want to design their space
There will be a fair amount of uncertainty in everyone’s mind as to what will be the ideal approach to this situation. Honestly, each person’s case is unique and it’s imperative for one to assess what works best for them.
There are a few options that one may pick from. Some clients may have hard lease cut-offs and a strict moving timeline, they can opt to get few things done on-site like electrical, painting, civil, etc. and move in while the furniture work is carried on.
Some, like one of our clients is doing currently, may opt for balancing their project with custom-built and ready-made furniture in order to expedite the delivery to the best possible manner. In any case, our advice to all clients would be to NOT attempt executing a project on your own, at least not in the given circumstances.
As professionals, we may ourselves face a lot of challenges in labour management, it might be a lot messier for someone who has never done this before. Also, do assess your interior design firm not only on its design ability but its strength in execution and the framework it will put in place to manage delivery & labour & employee safety in the current situation.
Lastly, if you have the time, invest it into commissioning design work so that while you wait for things to look up, your dream home is designed and ready to start execution at the earliest available date!