• Type: Mixed-use development and landscape
• Year: 2013
• Size: 80 Acres + 1.5 Million SF

On the evening of October 29th, 2012, Hurricane Sandy struck the coastal communities of New York and New Jersey, inflicting devastating damage upon buildings, infrastructure and land forms alike. In the process, the event exposed the vulnerabilities of low-lying areas and made clear that construction and development in these environments would never be the same. As reconstruction begins, projects such as the one proposed for Arverne East in the Rockaways must rethink the traditionally employed models of design and construction that no longer address the current realities of coastal conditions. Establishing a new paradigm for smart development in the face of such vulnerabilities begins with the restoration of ecological balance and propriety within the site, establishing a comprehensive storm management and recovery strategy, and integrating a platform-based construction typology that lifts residential spaces safely above base flood elevations.