Introduction

Since Hurricane Katrina, Architecture for Humanity has been working on the ground in East Biloxi to develop a program to help families repair and rebuild their homes. Through a partnership with the Biloxi Relief Recovery and Revitalization Center, the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio of Mississippi State University and others, we have been able to set up and secure funding to offer design services to a number of residents in the area. Our funding has supported everything from property surveys, to assessments to creating construction guidelines and standards. Through this program the rehabilitation of hundreds of partially destroyed housing stock is under way.

Since then we've received additional funding to begin building new homes for families. However, for true long-term reconstruction we need to address the way we build in hurricane prone communities. As a result, Architecture for Humanity is sponsoring the design and construction of a number of demonstration homes in the community.

What is the Model Home program?

The goal of the Model Home program is to provide design services and financial assistance for the construction of a number of new homes for families in East Biloxi whose houses were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. This fully-funded pilot program aims to assist families committed to rebuilding on their property by pairing them with architects, engineers and design professionals and others who can help them answer such basic questions as: Is it safe to rebuild on my lot? How will the new flood map elevations and building codes affect me? And, if I rebuild, what can I afford to build?

Families will be paired with a team of professional designers who will work with them one-on-one to design a new home for their property that will not only be affordable but will also be sustainable and meet the area's new building requirements. The pilot program is unique in that it offers families the opportunity to work one-on-one with architects and design professionals giving them access to expertise and design talent.Using the latest in materials research, disaster mitigation and sustainable building techniques, we see this as an opportunity for architects to help set the bar for new construction in the area.

To jump start the program, Architecture for Humanity invited a number of established local and national firms to create proposals for homes that meet the new challenges of disaster-mitigation in the post-Katrina environment. (To download a document (.pdf) of all firm profiles and designs please click here.) In August these firms participated in a House Fair. The event was open to the public, but also served as a vehicle for participating families to meet and talk with the architects one-on-one and select a design team with which to work.

In addition to sponsoring the Model Home program, Architecture for Humanity is collaborating with the East Biloxi Coordination Relief and Redevelopment Center, Hands On Gulf Coast and the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio to bring volunteer designers and architects to East Biloxi. These volunteers have and will continue to assist community partners with everything from lot assessments, to training, to providing design services, to hands-on reconstruction.

We are grateful to Oprah’s Angel Network
and the following sponsors for making this program possible:

Who are our partners?

Architecture for Humanity is partnering with the East Biloxi Coordination, Relief and Redevelopment Center to finance and build the pilot homes.

In addition, we are grateful to:

Arup; Enterprise Corporation of the Delta; the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio; Steven R. Meier, Jenner & Block LLP; NAVASA; Casius Pealer, Reno & Cavanaugh, PLLC; Warnke Community Consultants; participating architecture firms; the residents of East Biloxi and our many volunteers for lending their time and their talents. 

We would also like to thank the following who contributed their time and resources to this project: