One of the things we have missed most during lockdown has been the chance to go out and socialise. Boris Johnson’s announcement that restaurants and pubs can reopen on 4th July is widely welcomed, but many businesses will be wondering how they can observe the ‘one metre plus’ guidance and still get enough customers to make ends meet.
Working in collaboration with Edinburgh based architects GRAS and interior design studio STOREY&CO, Kingspan Light + Air has developed a prototype product that could allow cafes, bars and restaurants to welcome customers back through their doors again safely, compliantly and in sufficient numbers to keep their business viable. Acting as a screen, this simple, flexible solution potentially allows safe social distancing without needing a full 2m gap between customers, or making people feel disconnected from their surroundings.
The concept uses sheets of polycarbonate, a tough, lightweight material with excellent light transmission. Designed as a full height concertina screen or neat table-top divider, the partition can be used to create safe booths without closing down the feeling of light and space within a room or necessitating empty tables to maintain public health and safety.
Kingspan Light + Air’s UK & Ireland Managing Director, Alex Cooke, explained: