UNBUILT / MERIT 

Entry Name: P.E.R.L. (Prefabricated Emergency Response Living), Greensburg, KS
Owner: Withheld
Firm: FOUNDarchitects

Historically, human response to natural disasters has been to remove and clean up. Prefabricated Emergency Response Living (P.E.R.L.) has been developed to question the value of that response. A rural town in Kansas became committed to sustainable solutions after a tornado destroyed their community. It was quickly understood that there was a lack of necessary housing to help those in the greatest need. P.E.R.L. seeks to provide a new prototype for post-disaster living. The aim is to minimize the impact of the event, while also allowing for inventive sustainable housing and community rebuilding.

After a tornado the remaining portion of a house is often the concrete. Due to the imbedded energy in this portion of the structure it should not be discarded. This trace of former living can provide a memory of a time before and a basis for new living. By using available technologies and simple modes of transportation, along with modular components, P.E.R.L. is a transformable system. It can adapt to individual changes of topography, existing structural conditions, and family needs. It does so in a way that places families back on their own parcel of land and allows them to be a part of the community again.

Jury Comments: P.E.R.L. makes the best of an arduous situation. Its intelligent use of prefabricated materials and flexible deployment methods creates a design solution that will allow people to recover more quickly from a traumatic experience. The jury appreciated the exceptional representation of the project.