"The greenest thing you can build is a home someone loves." That was the main theme of designer Marianne Cusato's talk "The Katrina Cottage Story: The Value of Design," this afternoon at West Coast Green.
It follows then that the least green thing you can build is a home no one loves -- a FEMA trailer in post-Katrina New Orleans perhaps?
It was the poorly designed FEMA trailer that inspired Cusato to create an alternative type of dignified, but affordable emergency housing. The result? The Katrina Cottage -- a 300 - 1,800 sq-foot cottage-style home (there are a range of sizes available) designed specifically for victims of hurricane Katrina.
The cottages are now available to the general public through Lowe's, and FEMA will be entering into a pilot program with Cusato that involves building hundreds of them in the Gulf region.
Cusato's design philosophy is founded on three key principles: A home should be functional, affordable and well-designed. It's easy to find two of these criteria in U.S. homes, but often difficult to find all three.
The philosophy is nicely reflected in the cottages which cost approximately $55/sq.-foot, are built so that families can buy small units and easily add-on more space when they need/can afford it, and are bright, charming cottages that most would be happy to call home.
Cusato is a fascinating designer and speaker and you can read more about her here.
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