11.18.2024 | RENCO

The second annual Mark Samuelian Awards in Urban Resilience were announced Monday night at a ceremony at the Botanical Gardens in Miami Beach.

 

The awards commemorate the life and legacy of the late Miami Beach Commissioner Mark Samuelian, who championed a residents-first approach to resilience for homes and communities facing natural and climate hazards. After Mark’s sudden death in 2022, Resilience Action Fund (RAF) launched this program with a 10-year $50,000 pledge, which was joined by other sponsors.

 

The seven-member awards committee is composed of resilience champions from Florida International University (FIU), the University of Miami, the University of Florida, MIT, the American Society of Testing & Materials (ASTM), and the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM). The awards program focuses on residential projects completed in the state of Florida. Award criteria included resilience to hazards, environmental features, affordability, ease of duplication, and community benefits.

The awarded projects this year were:

• 1st Prize: ‘Babcock Ranch,’ an ongoing residential development in Florida’s Charlotte and Lee Counties by Kitson & Partners that, as of September 2024, had built 3,726 units
• 2nd Prize: ‘Lakewood Villages,’ a 96-unit rental apartment complex in Palm Springs, Florida, featuring the first US construction using RENCO’s mineral composite fiber reinforced blocks
• 3rd Prize: ‘The Lotus,’ a 2-story single-family home in Naples, Florida, featuring the first US construction using Northstar Technology’s fiber-reinforced polymer assemblies

 

Babcock Ranch, which opened in 2022, provides single- and multifamily housing for various ages and incomes. It is primarily ungated and 30 miles inland. Resilient features include its 30-foot elevation, green and gray water management infrastructure, 160-mph wind and fire-resistant concrete block construction, reclaimed water irrigation, a 150MW solar park, buried power lines, schools, community, medical, and recreational facilities.

 

Lakewood Villages, completed in 2023, offers two—and three-bedroom apartments for working-class families in four three-story buildings 4.5 miles inland. Its resilient features include a 21-foot elevation, 38% green and permeable land use, a 240-mph wind, a water-impervious, fire-rated, and mold-resistant structure, lightweight construction, a playground, and walking access to stores and bus transport.

 

The Lotus, completed in 2024, is a high-end 4-bedroom rental house in an ungated neighborhood 1.3 miles inland. Its resilient features include its 10.5-foot elevation, 240-mph wind resistance, water imperviousness, fire-tested, mold-resistant structure, and lightweight rapid construction.

 

Aris Papadopoulos, FIU Resilience Expert and RAF Chair said: “Mark Samuelian’s legacy continues with these awards. In addition to urban infrastructure, Mark was genuinely interested in how people’s homes could survive. This year’s winners are great examples of resilient development strategies and solutions that can be applied to Florida, the US, and the World.”

 

The Mark Samuelian Awards in Urban Resilience recognize individuals and organizations that have successfully implemented hazard-resilient measures, technologies, and strategies in residential projects. The awards committee may expand its geographic scope in future years.