"We have a chance to hit the reset button, to stop and think about what really matters in our lives, and to ask ourselves what will provide true, lasting value rather than a quick fix."~ Marianne Cusato Read: Blog Entries by Marianne Cusato on the Huffington Post Marianne's new book is The Just Right House. The Katrina Cottages include designs by Marianne and: Andres Duany; Duany Plater Zyberk & Co. Eric Moser; Moser Design Group W. A. Lawrence; Period Style Homes Originally designed as a dignified alternative to the FEMA trailer, Katrina Cottages have been hailed for their design, durability, versatility and, affordability in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, on CNN and in all major news outlets nationwide. The Katrina Cottage is the vision of Andres Duany, first developed at the Mississippi Renewal Forum in October 2005. The goal of a Katrina Cottage is to create a home that is safe, affordable, and can be built quickly - yet at the same time is livable and lovable. Following popular demand nationwide, Marianne Cusato and a talented team of independent designers have expanded the series beyond emergency housing. These homes are ideal for anyone looking for a small and compact home with style. They can be used as primary homes, clustered in pocket neighborhoods, used for student housing and even for vacation cabins. Meet the Team: Designer and author Marianne Cusato is a leading voice in home design whose work continually inspires and shapes trends throughout the building industry. Cusato's work addresses the ever-changing needs of homeowners today by striving to balance the practical requirements of economy and durability with the desire to love where we live. Ranked the No. 4 most influential person in the home building industry by Builder Magazine in its annual "Power on 50" list, Cusato is the author of Get Your House Right, Architectural Elements to Use and Avoid, with Ben Pentreath, Richard Sammons and Leon Krier, foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales (January 2008, Sterling Publishing). In 2006, her 308 s.f. Katrina Cottage won the Smithsonian Institute's Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum's "People's Design Award." In June 2006, Congress appropriated $400 million for an alternative emergency housing program, based on the idea of the Katrina Cottage. Cusato is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. Eric Moser; Moser Design Group, Inc. is a neighborhood and residential design firm dedicated to promoting well designed traditional homes and communities and supporting Smart Growth through New Urbanism. W. A. Lawrence; Period Style Homes, W.A. "Bud" Lawrence, ICA/CA is the principal partner of Period Style Homes, Inc. specializing in land planning and residential design and Lawrence Design-Build, Inc. specializing in residential and commercial construction. Throughout his 34 year career he has designed residential projects in classical, traditional and vernacular styles nationally and internationally. Andres Duany; Duany Plater Zyberk & Co. (DPZ) is an award-winning leader in the practice and direction of urban planning, having designed over 300 new and existing communities in the United States and overseas, including Seaside, Florida. Principals, Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk are co-founders of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU). His designs will be coming soon.
