Four finalists have been selected to advance to the second phase of a design competition called "For a Resilient Rockaway" (FAR ROC). Organized by the the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, L+M Development Partners, The Bluestone Organization, Triangle Equities, the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter, and Enterprise Community Partners, the competition brief asked designers to develop ideas for a new mixed-use, mixed-income, sustainable, and storm-resilient community on an 80-acre site on the Rockaway Peninsula, one of the coastal sections of the city severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy. 

Of 117 submissions, the jury chose proposals by New York-based Ennead Architects (with Langan Engineering, LERA, Atelier 10, Hargreaves, and BioHabitats); Toronto's Lateral Office (with WXY Studio, Buro Happold, EDesign Dynamics, Sam Schwartz Engineering, and HR&A Advisors); London-based Seeding Office (with Biber Architects and Robert Silman Associates); and Goteborg, Sweden's White Arkitekter (with ARUP and Gensler). The four teams will receive $30,000 each to develop their proposals. Phase two submissions are due by October 7 and the winning project team will be announced on October 24. The winning team will receive an additional $30,000 to develop design and construction documents.

“Hurricane Sandy did not back us away from the waterfront and its development, but the intensity of the storm and the terrible damage we all saw the day after reminded us that intelligent shorefront design is essential to our future,” said HPD Commissioner Mathew M. Wambua in a statement released after the finalists were announced at New York's Center for Architecture. “The FAR ROC competition tapped into the international community of architecture and design practitioners, which responded with nearly 200 creative and imaginative waterfront development strategies for Arverne East. This is a great starting point and I look forward to the next iteration of the finalists’ concepts. These ideas have the potential to not only guide development and protect property, but most important of all, they could save lives.”

View the finalists' proposals and vote for your favorite at https://www.facebook.com/FarROCdesign.