Announced last summer, the Rebuild by Design competition is an initiative of the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The competition invited architects, landscape architects, and urban planners to re-imagine a more resilient post-Sandy future. Each team was given $200,000 and asked to create designs solutions for different regions of the afflicted Eastern seaboard, from Connecticut down to the Jersey Shore.
Related: WXY and West 8 Explore Protecting NYC from Floods Using Barrier Islands
The ten final proposals explore design as infrastructure and introduce multi-functional plans with a mix of economic, social, and ecological benefits. Bjarke Ingels Group, for instance, proposed the ‘Big U,’ a 10-mile ribbon that wraps around lower Manhattan and doubles as public space. The designs of the WXY Architecture and West 8 team, on the other hand, offer a more ecological approach with barrier islands that protect the Jersey shoreline and provide a wildlife habitat. The winners of the competition will receive federal funding to implement their designs.
Via NY Mag
Images via Rebuild by Design
