Our company was called in 2017 to participate in the rebuilding damaged homes from Hurricane Sandy.  Hurricane Sandy had stuck NYC almost 5 years earlier but with the complications of rebuilding large areas in a large city few families were back in their homes. We were asked to develop a program that purchased modular homes and install them in a way that would prevent a repeat of the damage from Sandy.

While modular home manufacturers can build a good wooden home, they were resistant to developing new technology to meet the requirements of a truly resilient home in these low-lying areas in Staten Island and Queens, New York. This was up to our team and the engineers of NYC DDC and private firms brought in by the Construction Manager.

In the first phase we were to demolish the existing home including foundation and remove all debris from the site. Utilities were disconnected and surveys completed to prepare for the new foundation.  

The new foundation was designed to provide solid support in soils that would not support much of structure. To deal with this issue we installed helical piles around the perimeter of the foundation and under supporting walls.  We installed pile caps to integrate with the structural rebar in the concrete grade beam. The rebar was bent and worked into the columns that would vary in height to bring the home 2’ above Base Flood Elevation. Depending on the area these columns varied from as little as 3’ to as high as 13”.  This lower area was designed to allow that water from a future storm to flow under the home without causing damage.

New zoning rules in NYC allowed use to consider Base Flood Elevation, plus 2’, to be considered ground level when determining the maximum height of a new building. Homeowners would now have to compromise floor area when deciding to build the home at this height. But the modular home were wood construction and at the new height they would not meet NYC fire codes.

Our group designed a podium base of structural and light gauge steel with a cementitious covering to sit on the columns and support the wooden structure. The provided fire protection to meet the codes and added a structural component to increase wind and storm protection.

The development of the project took place between March 2017 and June 2017.  By late June 2017 we had already pulled permits and were demolishing the existing. New foundations were being installed in July and would continue through November 2017 the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy. At the same time, we were working on the design on the modular homes, meeting with homeowners in making selections and moving the homes through the NYS modular home approval process.  The first homes were set in September 2017 and would continue through to the end of 2018.  All together we worked on 102 homes.

While the program was a success and we met the needs of the city and homeowners, the same drive to innovate and create an overall program for a resilient home in NYC has led us to see how to build not just a better resilient home but one not compromising aesthetics.

This brings us to ICF Construction. ICF combines strength, insulation, water & pest resistant, sound blocking while allowing unlimited design options. We believe that by combining ICF Construction with strategic elevation & foundation planning we can build the truly resilient home. This approach can provide future storm resilience and long terms costs savings; insurance, utility and maintenance.