Updating a story we first published May 22, 2013 regarding proposed modular disaster relief housing by Garrison Architects, a five module prototype has been installed in Brooklyn. Over the next couple of years, different people will live in the units for five days at a time to determine their functionality, according to dezeen.com. Available in one-and-three-bedroom configurations, each unit features a living room, bathroom and kitchen, using recyclable materials such as cork floors, and sustainable features which include integrated solar shading, thick insulation and optional photovoltaic panels. Each unit, constructed in Indiana by Mark Line Industries, requires only 15 hours to install and plug in to utilities, MHProNews has discovered.

“Aside from the basics of providing shelter after a disaster, the prototype is innovative because it allows residents to remain within their communities instead of being displaced for months, or even years,” explains architect James Garrison. “ ‘Shelter in place’ allows residents to maintain their support networks – their friends and their families. Keeping neighborhoods intact is crucial for successful rebuilding.” ##

(Photo credit: Andrew Rugge/archphoto.com–disaster relief housing prototype in Brooklyn)