Katrina cottages available this fall

After announcing that it would become the retailer of plans and materials needed to construct Katrina Cottages, Lowe’s joined forces with designer Marianne Cusato and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour on Tuesday for a “board cutting” ceremony and press conference in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. During the ceremony held even as hurricane Ernesto turned onto the Florida mainland officials unveiled the first-of-its-kind Lowe’s Katrina Cottage.

The cottage, which showcases 544 square feet of livable, decorated space, is a permanent and weather-resistant housing solution for Gulf Coast residents who are rebuilding their homes and communities in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Although not hurricane proof, desigers pointed out that the structure of the cottages was held to the highest standards of storm resistence. sometimes called the "Boca" standard.

Lowe’s Katrina Cottages, developed by Marianne Cusato in conjunction with a team of leading architects from around the United States including renowned architect and town planner Andres Duany, are designed to withstand heavy rain and winds up to 140 miles per hour, meet most hurricane codes and the International Building Code. The plans and building materials for the cottages will be available for purchase at select Lowe’s stores, initially in Mississippi and Louisiana, beginning this fall.

by Harlan Weikle
Greener Magazine

Additional reading:: Read our exclusive interview with Katrina Cottage Architect Marianne Cusato earlier this year

Comments 1:

Great cottage design. I wish we could foster small house
designs like that for the rest of us who live in apartments and can't
afford the astronomical California real estate prices. We need to
think smaller, and reduce our drain on the world. I was thinking this
morning, I wonder how our "carbon footprint" compares to our parents'.
And we have so many more people, too! Yowsers! Mother Earth, I feel
for you! Carolyn - Playa del Rey, CA