The Best Worst Case Scenario Housing

Necessity, so it is said, is the the mother of invention. And few situations bring necessity to the fore like a disaster. And few disaster housing is as inventive as the NYC Emergency Housing Prototype by Garrison Architecture’s. Made in partnership with New York City’s Office of Emergency Management, the prototype was, in part designed as a response to the need for housing following events like Hurricane Sandy. The prefabricated housing complex was designed to be deployed in less than 15 hours “in the event of a catastrophic natural or manmade disaster,” according to Garrison.

While designed for emergencies, the prototype’s construction bests most permanent homes. From Garrison’s site:

With 1- and 3-bedroom configurations, every unit features a living area, bathroom, fully equipped kitchen and storage space. Units are built with completely recyclable materials, cork floors, zero formaldehyde, a double-insulated shell, and floor-to-ceiling balcony entry doors with integrated shading to lower solar-heat gain, provide larger windows, and add more habitable space. Units can be equipped with photovoltaic panels, which will not only alleviate pressure on the city grid, but also ensure the units are self-sustaining.

The units range between 480 and 813 sq ft and whole multi-story, multi-unit structure measures only 40′ x 100′, making it easy to set up in small lots.

That Garrison should make such an innovative, handsome prefab structure should be no surprise. Since 1991, the firm has specialized in modular construction, citing “material efficiency, economy of scale and built-in quality control” as its inherent strengths.

For more info head over to Garrison’s website.

Photo credit: Andrew Rugge

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