Phase 1:
Guánica Resilient Community Center & Emergency Shelter
Pre-During-Post Event
Summary: On January 6 and 7, 2020, two earthquakes—magnitude 5.8 and 6.4 on the Richter scale—devastated the southern part of Puerto Rico. Soon after, a collaboration was formed between private sector experts, non-profits organizations and an academic institution to provide pro-bono services to the Gúanica Municipality, one of the poorest and most affected coastal municipalities on the Island. The team’s scope included site analysis, programming, and conceptual design of all buildings systems for three Resilient Community Centers that could transform into emergency shelters during events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and extreme heat. The had three guiding objectives:
Create a Contextually Responsive Design considering risks, susceptibilities, and vulnerabilities of the community;
Design an equitable and inclusive place for all members of the community;
Develop a Community Center, an asset for year-round capacity building, that supports the community before-during-after an emergency.
The team also developed the shelter’s operational policy including: sleeping areas distribution arrangement; toilet and shower use; companion animals admittance; pandemic requirements; lighting and ventilation protocols; intake forms and health questions; and shelter rules. While the building and land will be owned by the Guánica Municipality, it will be operated by a local non-profit (One Stop Career Center, Inc.) with an extensive and successful track record in community-based programs. Together, we have secured an $8.5M FEMA Hazard Mitigation grant to build the first center: the medium size version (two-basketball courts). This conceptual model is replicable—an important consideration for the design team who hopes for more community centers investments occur throughout the Island.
Services: Project lead and co-management, liaison to government agencies (Municipality, and FEMA), programming, planning, architectural conceptual design and coordination of systems integration, and strategic direction of the project.
Team: resilientSEE collaborators Perkins&Will, WSP USA, and partners: Voluntariado de Ingenieros y Profesionales de Puerto Rico, and the Boston Architectural College.
Completion Date: 2021
Impact: 1 Municipality with 5,000 population, 4 specific communities: Parque Centenario, Sector Oasis, Barrio Ensenada and Sector El Batey.
Phase 2:
Guánica Resilient Community Center & Emergency Shelter
Pre-During-Post Event
Summary: Phase 1, completed in 2021, consisted of a Municipal level analysis to establish 3 neighborhood community centers that transformed into shelters in time of emergency. Led by resilientSEE-PR, these three locations were designed through a collaboration with Danniely Staback, Voluntariado de Ingenieros y Profesionales de Puerto Rico, Resilient Equities, Code Red, Perkins&Will, and the Boston Architectural College.
For Phase 2, ongoing, focused on calibrating the size and scope for one of the neighborhood Community Centers / Shelters and creating a formal submission for FEMA funding. The redesigned center is 7,800 GSF and able to host 201 individuals in shelter modality. The Letter of Intent submitted was for $8.7 Million. Most of 2022 has been devoted to answering technical questions for FEMA after the initial March submission.
· 10 volunteers / 3 from resilientSEE
· 120 hours of resilientSEE donation
· Professional service donated by FR Construction Group
· 3 project workshops plus multiple coordination meetings
· Services provided by volunteering team: Programming, planning and concept design, cost estimating coordination, project management and compliance for FEMA funding.
Services: Programming, planning and concept design, cost estimating coordination, project management and compliance for FEMA funding.
Team: Led by resilientSEE-PR, this collaboration includes architect Danniely Staback, Voluntariado de Ingenieros y Profesionales de Puerto Rico, Resilient Equities, FR Construction Group, Perkins&Will, and One Stop Career Center of Puerto Rico.
Completion Date: 2022
Impact: Serves 201+ people in shelter modality for the Guánica Municipality and beyond
