The Program

For
the purposes of this proposal we are only interested in the schematic
phase of the design process. Because the affected families have not
yet been selected we have established, with the help of local building
officials and team members on the ground, a median of criteria around
which to design. Two sample sites have been chosen along with three
possible client scenarios sampled from demographic surveys conducted
after the storm. Each participating firm must propose a design
for each of the two sites below and clearly demonstrate how their
designs are adaptable to each of the three client scenarious also
outlined below.

Code Requirements:
Proposals must meet all applicable local, state and federal building
regulations. The City of Biloxi, Mississippi is currently enforcing the
2003 International Building Code. In addition, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) has rewritten its new construction standards
in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. At this point schematic designs need
to adhere to both standards. For more information please see the links
provided below.

Sample Sites:

Design
teams are asked to create two housing schemes; one for each of the two
sample sites (site A and site B below). The sites address the two most
common elevation scenarios in the target area of East Biloxi following
Hurricane Katrina.

Sample Site A:

• Lot size is 50’ x 170’ oriented on an east/west axis in the longer direction - the street fronts the eastern lot line
  
• Zoned RS-5 by the city of Biloxi
  
• Setbacks: 20' front, 5' sides, 25' rear
• Zoned AE by National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• Base Flood Elevation (BFE) is 6’ above grade
  (The elevation of the first habitable floor may be no less than 6’
  above grade. For more information see the FEMA technical fact sheets http://www.fema.gov/rebuild/mat/mat_fema499.shtm)
• Typically, sites with a BFE near 6' will be in neighborhoods with existing homes that survived Hurricane Katrina.

Sample Site B:

• Lot size is 50’ x 170’ oriented on an east/west axis in the longer direction - the street fronts the eastern lot line
  
• Zoned RS-5 by the city of Biloxi
  
• Setbacks: 20' front, 5' sides, 25' rear
• Zoned AE by National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• Base Flood Elevation (BFE) is 12’ above grade
  (The elevation of the first habitable floor may be no less than 12’
  above grade. For more information see the FEMA technical fact sheets http://www.fema.gov/rebuild/mat/mat_fema499.shtm)
  
• Typically,
  sites with a BFE near 12' will exist in neighborhoods that have
  experienced near complete destruction as a result of Hurricane

To download a zip file of higher-resolution images of both sites for design and presentation purposes, click here.

Client Scenarios:

In
addition to developing a scheme to meet each of the elevation
requirements above, designers are asked to address the following
typical family situations in East Biloxi.

1. an elderly female/male resident living alone
   
2. a married couple with four (4) children
3. an extended family, with two (2) or more unmarried adults and two (2) children

Other Requirements:

• The habitable square footage of the home should not exceed 1600 sq. ft.

Construction Costs:

The construction budget for each home will be $110,000 USD. This includes all hard and soft costs except design fees.