Center for Resilient Design

Through studios and other classroom experiences, the School of Architecture's Keith Krumwiede leads faculty and students to consider the implications of laws, regulations, investments, and other governmental decisions related to natural and man-made disasters. Rules and regulations are tested and recommendations are provided to enable users to be more resilient. In the Spring 2014 Studio Classes, NJIT architecture students explored the challenges and opportunities of resilient design. Here are some of the drawings and models that students produced in this effort.

Amphibious Housing for the New Normal

The question of whether or not to rebuild in such a highly vulnerable area is often predicated on the desire to re-establish the sense of communal living borne of the relationships forged amongst the residents and evident in the architecture of proximal living of this once fishing community. The relationship between the people is heavily reliant on the interrelationship between their homes and, as such, the relevance of the affinity between a house and the ground becomes vital. A viable alternative to permanent static elevation is amphibious housing. Unlike floating homes, an amphibious house is secured on thick, telescoping steel posts inserted into concrete piles common in beachfront construction. This option affords the safety sought by the new FEMA regulations while preserving the “cottage culture” of coastal communities by providing a buoyant foundation that allows the home to sit at grade during normal conditions, as well as elevate with rising water levels and lower again as the levels recede. A similar logic can be applied to walkways that rise from the ground to retain the connective infrastructure lost during natural disasters. Planters that float act as armor from floating debris and provide the visual comfort of the familiar in a time of crisis. Adaptability becomes the new normal.

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The increase in the incidents of weather related catastrophes makes it necessary to design houses that are not only sustainable, but also adaptable. Like most areas affected by Hurricane Sandy, the solution is not abandonment, but a design that makes the areas livable and allows communities to return. Therefore, the main objective of this project is to reestablish and reintegrate Sea Bright into the fabric of the surrounding communities. This project was designed to limit the amount of structural walls and columns on the ground floor. This not only allows for an open floor area that is adaptable to various uses, but also limits building surfaces that could be impacted by natural forces. Structural supporting cores were pushed towards the center of the building, creating column-less building edges. These reinforced concrete cores also serve as shafts for building services and vertical transportation. The cores are watertight to protect all vital services in the building in the event of an emergency. The entire building perimeter is wrapped in a watertight panelized façade that closes during storms and other emergency weather conditions, establishing an environmental envelope that protects the occupants' lives and property. The courtyard is employed to aid cross ventilation and lighting in the building bulk. The building can be constructed in modules to allow for fast-paced construction. Modules could be subtracted or adjusted to create interesting interior shared spaces for the occupants. The building is raised above the flood plain on reinforced concrete cores to create a ground condition that is not only adaptable, but also flexible. This also allows all vital building services to be located out of the flood plain. As the water level rises, the programs in the building also change.

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Sea Bright seems the perfect place to establish a new type of coastal building typology. Sea Bright's formal history began in 1969, but, before that, in the early 1940s, the fishing village of Nauvoo, a small cluster of wooden shacks, sat nestled among the tall grass·topped sand dunes of the barrier beach. At a time in American history when strength, adaptability, resiliency, and resourcefulness meant the difference between survival and extinction, it seems only fitting to look to our past to help shape our future. In homage to the strength and resiliency of one of America's first coastal communities, this proposed building typology is respectfully named "The Nauvoo House."

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Sea Bright, one of New Jersey's shore towns, is hoping to rebuild its identity by continuing to draw tourists to its beach and businesses. The river side will focus on bringing life by adding a boardwalk to the edge, thus creating attractions on both sides of Sea Bright. The prototype proposed is not only storm responsive, but will enhance the social atmosphere between neighbors. The prototype’s modular construction will help build homes faster and economically. Not only can the house be built as a stand-a-lone, but it can also be adapted to add other units in the future. The courtyard house is the new improved beach house for the shoreline.

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The disaster that occurred during Hurricane Sandy left many homeowners and neighborhoods devastated. Different communities all around New Jersey worked together to rebuild and restore their neighborhoods to their former state.By helping each other, each community was able to bounce back from the catastrophe. The inverted street obligates neighbors to be a part of a community, not only during a crisis, but during everyday life. Communities functioning together will empower the New Jersey resilient build. The inverted street will be a design mechanism to advocate people to be part of a community in times of need. Having people socially interact on an everyday basis will help the individual, home, and community withstand a devastating storm. Homeowners will respectably own their property but will now be part of a cluster community. Each home will have its own entity and property line, but, rather than being a single home, will now be part of a cluster of houses that are linked together by a water collecting roof. The houses will be elevated and connected by a common walkway space. This elevated street will help with yearly flooding, yet permit homeowners to continue their daily routines with less worry.

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The purpose of Amity House is to solicit proposals for the design of new residential buildings in Union Beach. The proposed block for the new residential building construction was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. New residential buildings on this block will require floodproofing, as the block is a flood risk. The new houses, totaling 14 units, will be integrated into half of the purposed site area. Each building will be composed of two units that will share one communal deck that is easily accessible from the street. The communal deck will be set at 4’ above ground level. The decking connection of the units will promote neighbor amity.

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The aim of this project was to design an environmentally suitable and resilient family house with rental space. The concept of "nested house" was derived from Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye. The house is raised on piles to avoid flood inundation, creating space for pedestrians, and is anchored with center stairs to protect the building from any subsidence due to undercutting and erosion. The plan takes the shape of a puzzle with multiple access points. Connecting these puzzles together creates a cluster community. Throughout the housing complex, a series of linked terraces serve as courtyards for communal space, which enhances socialization and promotes the idea of spreading-out the connected buildings horizontally.

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