Architect and Adjunct Associate Architecture Professor James Garrison has designed an Urban Post Disaster Housing prototype, a purpose-built alternative to current post disaster housing options. The prototype, commissioned by the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM), currently stands in a small lot off of Cadman Plaza in Downtown Brooklyn. The structure was installed in Brooklyn in June for a year-long period of live-in testing by city employees and individuals affiliated with Pratt Institute and NYU-Poly.
Garrison’s prototype is part of an effort by New York City officials to better prepare the city for any future disasters in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The building, an industrial yet sleek three-story structure, manufactured in modular units, can be installed in disaster-stricken areas in less than 15 hours. Garrison’s design allows residents in affected areas to continue living in their own neighborhoods as permanent lodgings are reconstructed.