AIA New Jersey Creates Design Program to Help Rebuild
Camp Osborne in Brick Township, N.J.
Program to Take Place on Weekend of April 27
Open to the Public
BRICK TOWNSHIP, N.J. (April 22,2014) – The New Jersey chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA-NJ) has announced that it will host a weekend, community design program starting April 27 to help develop a plan to rebuild Camp Osborn in Brick Township, which was devastated by a fire after Hurricane Sandy.
Taking place at Emma Havens Young Elementary School on Drumpoint Road, the program, formally known as a Sustainable Design Assessment Team or SDAT, will combine local resources with the expertise of a multidisciplinary team of professionals to create a viable solution for rebuilding the Route 35 community. The volunteer participants include architects, planners, engineers, landscape architects, attorneys, officials and stakeholders.
“As architects, we have the ability to not only rebuild structures, but entire communities,” said Jack Purvis, president of AIA-NJ. “In an effort to help rebuild one of our local communities, which was devastated by fire as a result of Sandy, we’re using an SDAT as tool to help mobilize local support and foster result-driven cooperation. This fast-paced, exciting program will help us design and rebuild Camp Osborn in a sustainable way as quickly as possible.”
Camp Osborn, located on a three-acre seaside lot and comprised of densely packed cottages, was ravished by a wind-swept fire – likely fueled by natural gas. The community, formerly a tent camp that dates back to the 1920s, is one of Brick’s first summer colonies. In total, the fire destroyed 68 homes.
“We’re excited to work with the New Jersey chapter of AIA to rebuild Camp Osborn quickly, safely and sustainably,” said Brick Township Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis. “I look forward to a productive weekend, driven by the expertise of volunteering design professionals and community stakeholders. I thank AIA-NJ for their participation and encourage those with interest to participate.”
One of the topics under discussion will be how to rebuild Camp Osborn in accordance with the new Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Advisory Base Flood maps, which require homes in designated areas — known as A-Zones and V-Zones or “velocity” zones — to be raised. In addition, in V-Zones walls must be designed to break away from foundations and special support pilings are required.
The SDAT program will include general sessions and breakout secessions with specialty focuses. In creating the plan, the SDAT program will draw on tools such as historical data and photographs, a site plan showing the area as it existed before the fire, zoning ordinances affecting the area, proposed improvements to Route 35 and current flood maps.
SDAT programs across the country have used this grassroots approach to help create communities that are healthy, safe and livable, as well as sustainable.
In an e-mail to the Melissa Hunt, the Executive Director of the AIA Central Oklahoma Chapter, AIA New Jersey President Jack Purvis, AIA has offered the assistance of our 120 AIA-NJ members that were trained in Disaster Recovery through the State of California Safety Assessment Program. We greatly appreciate the assistance that was (and continues to be) given to us after Sandy, and we likewise want to assist others in their time of need.
