The president's Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, headed by Housing and Urban Development secretary Shaun Donovan, has announced that huge-name architecture studios OMA and BIG—yes, the firms headed by starchitects Rem Koolhaas and Bjarke Ingels, respectively—are on the shortlist of candidates to rebuild communities ravaged by October's storm. The firms (which, until recently, were also rivaling candidates for the Miami Beach Convention Center project) are just two of 10 studios that will spend the next three months studying the needs of the region and reaching out to locals. Their task: establish plans for coastal communities (like South Jersey or New York's Breezy Point), high-density urban environments, ecological/waterbody networks, and "the unknown and unexpected." No word yet on what, exactly, either big-name firm is scheming up, but decisions will be made and construction on the approved plans will begin by, in theory, next March.
· OMA and BIG to rebuild Sandy-affected communities [Dezeen]
· All Rem Koolhaas coverage [Curbed National]
· All Bjarke Ingels coverage [Curbed National]
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