New York City residents could have a stylish and safe place to live in less than 15 hours after a catastrophic natural or manmade disaster with these modular ‘pop-up’ apartments. Developed by Garrison Architects for the NYC Office of Emergency Management, the Urban Post Disaster Housing Prototype makes it easy to create compact multi-story, multi-family dwellings on demand.

Each individual unit is self-contained and can host families of various sizes, expanding from a one bedroom up to a three bedroom. Prefabricated in Indiana, the units also feature a living room, bathroom, fully-equipped kitchen, storage space and balcony. Multiple units can be stacked vertically or set side-by-side in a variety of urban settings, from vacant lots to public spaces.

The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy made it clear that fast, safe, durable housing is critical once the immediate danger of a disaster has passed. The result of over 6 years of research into emergency housing by by the City of New York, this design allows residents to remain in their communities instead of being whisked away to shelters for months at a time.

The units were designed to meet the strictest zoning requirements in the United States so they can be quickly deployed to any location in the country within hours. A total of 5 modules were created for the prototype, which will remain on the corner of Cadman Plaza East and Red Cross Place for up to two years. Guests will be invited to stay in the units for five-day intervals to see just how comfortable these housing units can be.