Why we are doing this

When Kellogg Wong, FAIA, RIBA called his colleague Maria Sevely, living in Long Beach, NY, in the days after Sandy, he became increasingly concerned by the lack of organized informed response to the storm's destruction. Having planned other coastal cities like Singapore while working in partnership with I. M. Pei, Kellogg knew that the response would have to be two-fold:

• immediate: safe, warm shelter 
• and long-term: revised, renewed planning, design and construction to protect against future storms 

The architects quickly realized that because the storm hit the metropolitan New York City area, the scale and scope of its impact would be unprecedented. Walking her own neighborhood and touring nearby areas in the days following the storm, residents approached Maria with many questions:

• could their homes be made safe?
• what measures would make a safer, better house?
• how much would it cost to make their homes storm safe? 

At the same time, nearly everyone wanted to stay and was eager to rebuild as quickly as possible, but knowledge of what to do and how to do it simply wasn't available.

In a bold move, the architects quickly decided to take action themselves and mobilize the architectural, engineering and construction community to work with hard-hit communities.

Our aim is to work in coordination with the American Institute of Architects to quickly develop rebuilding guidelines; involve local governments to coordinate appropriate revisions to local codes; work to ensure financial support from FEMA, insurers and lending institutions; and work directly with communities to rebuild  better homes for a safer, more sustainable future.

Super Storm Sandy was a disaster, but we join together in the belief that it can lead to a better tomorrow.