3C: Comprehensive Coastal Communities

The Challenge
After Super-storm Sandy, thousands of homeowners in Long Island and the Tri-State area face a critical point in determining their future. The competition seeks creative and innovative designs for comprehensive coastal communities along Long Island, New Jersey, NYC and Southern New England. Existing homes must now comply with new FEMA regulations. Homes that are deemed 50% or more damaged must be either demolished and reconstructed, or raised above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). These codes ensure life safety to citizens living in flood plains, however nobody has considered the implications that these new codes present to the overall aesthetics of the community. ORLI asks these questions: What will happen to an entire community once some homes are raised and some remain on the ground? Can a comparable community be envisioned or will the unique aesthetic these communities have be lost forever?

By focusing the competition at the regional scale, we can impact local municipalities along the vulnerable Atlantic Coast. The Comprehensive Coastal Communities competition envisions new towns where proper planning and implementation will render these places resilient for generations to come. The students feel that by focusing on community planning they can make an impact on local town codes. The competition will ask competitors to select a specific community and design a housing typology and incorporate it into a neighborhood block plan. The streetscape including landscape, façade cohesion and zoning are all considerations for neighborhood block proposals.

The jury for the Comprehensive Coastal Communities competition is forthcoming and will be available in the coming weeks but will be comprised of a team of professionals in various fields, including sustainability, build-ability, and resilient design.

Registration
There is no fee to enter. Registration deadline is June 30, 2013. Submissions are due July 25, 2013. Upon the announcement of winners and honorable mentions, ORLI plans to create a publication of all work to be then distributed to local municipalities throughout the region. A symposium is also planned which will showcase the winners along with 20-30 honorable mentions and will discuss the future implications of storms and overall climate change. The symposium will be organized by ORLI and collaborators and will be held at NYIT’s Auditorium on Broadway in New York City on October 10, 2013.

Comprehensive Coastal Communities is supported by the American Institute of Architecture Students NYIT Chapters and Waves for Water. ORLI has also established a student advisory group of students from around the country to participate in the planning and outreach process.

For more information about the competition or to register, please visit www.3Ccompetition.org.