As I write this, the four offices of HTA Design LLP are effectively closed and our team of 225 or so are either working from home, or in the case of a small number of support staff, furloughed.

Reports are coming in of a constant stream of sites closed, and projects postponed. As a 66-year-old asthmatic, I’m working a full day but from the bottom of my garden and remote from colleagues with whom I keep in touch via Microsoft Teams and other digital media. The mantra is business as usual, with management meetings, design and technical reviews scheduled as normal, and every effort made to meet clients’ information requirements. Our server rooms are kept alive, receiving remote instructions to update big BIM files throughout the day.

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