The term 'social distance' was once only a vague metaphor to describe the relationship between
different social groups. Yet it has acquired a precise meaning as the mandatory minimum
distance for face-to-face interactions: 1 1.5 or 2 metres (or 6 feet) depending on the
jurisdiction. But what is the appropriate distance from which to interpret a pandemic? Rather
than asserting a diagnosis of the contemporary emergency the issue Social Distance offers
perspectives from architectural history and theory. From the great plague of Venice to cholera
in the industrializing city from the human placenta to the 1960s bubble or the office of
today the fifth gta papers provides a broad range of reflections on contagion disease and
health.
