Carsten Laursen and Morten Fassov: What If NYC?

While the most cities shudder at the potential of a major disaster and the impact it would have on the lives of its inhabitants, the majority urban infrastructure experts would probably agree that it never hurts to be prepared for the worst. Having dealt with major crises before the New York City Office of Emergency Management decided you could never have enough input on how to deal with the issue of post-disaster housing. As a result, they held the What If New York City Design Competition, in which designers from around the world submitted proposals on possible design for post-disaster housing solutions. In January the NYC OEM chose the ten winners, and ten honorable mention designs from the contest. Perhaps our favorite design came from Danish designers (and winners themselves) Carston Laursen and Morten Fassov, whose vision depended on principles of urbanity, sustainability, home and rationality, as well as reliance on the strength of a hexagonal structure to create a new urban grid that is seemingly practical and visually stimulating. It's all quite an accomplishment for building plans you hope never need implementation.