Dr. Somik Ghosh was recently interviewed by Bluebeam about his thoughts on the impact of COVID-19 on the construction industry.
According to Dr. Somik Ghosh, professor at the University of Oklahoma’s Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture and a construction safety expert, this isolation isn’t practical in construction.
“Especially when the project gets toward completion, there is an influx of workers in different trades that come in during the finishing stages,” Ghosh said. “It’s not a question of the flow of workers within one workplace, but multiple workplaces where these individuals are traveling.”
This constant flow of workers from different trade specialty areas makes it especially critical to reduce on-site exposure to decrease the risk of transmission between jobsites.
Ghosh said that the industry will have to reduce physical contact between workers on each site to reduce the risk of transmission. “Reducing crowding is key,” Ghosh said. “It can be done by increasing total work hours so that people work in multiple shifts, or by taking a hard look at the way we used to schedule.”
“Instead of having everybody work on the same floor,” Ghosh continued, “maybe we think about splitting the workforce into multiple floors if it’s a multi-story building or working within different zones on a horizontal project.”
The Gibbs College of Architecture celebrates fifth-year architecture student Haley Praytor, who has been recognized at the national level for her design work. In early March, Haley received a Graduate Division Award of Merit for her submission to the 2025 Metal Building Manufacturers Association student design competition.
Ronald Frantz Jr., emeritus professor, has been named a 2026 Mary Means Leadership Award recipient, the highest honor presented by Main Street America. The award was announced at the Main Street Now Conference in Tulsa, recognizing leaders who advance preservation-based economic development and community revitalization.
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
