A Flood "Utility Pod" New York City Style

Ny.Curbed.Com describes the interesting “utility pods” commissioned by the New York City Housing Authority and designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) to buffer a large public housing development against a superstorm like Hurricane Sandy that ravaged Brooklyn’s Red Hook area.
These 14 “pods” are multi-purpose-they provide backup power and distribution sources, can house new retail stores for the surrounding buildings, and will provide heat and electricity when the next storm hits this low-lying residential area. They also provide public greenspace through a collaboration with the landscape architecture firm Olin. Here’s the  press release .
The “Lily Pad” design also serve as flood baffles by providing raised earth forms in the centre of the internal courtyards and an active “flood wall” using passive barriers.  “These elements transform the experience of residents and guests by providing vibrant, social spaces in conjunction with the area’s infrastructural needs.”

This Red Hook housing project was without power and heat for weeks after Hurricane Sandy and was allocated $438 million dollars for repairs from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  The pod design has already  “garnered a Merit award for Urban Design in this year’s American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York chapter awards“.