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 * 09-20-22
 * 6:00 am


THESE PROTOTYPE HOMES DIDN’T LOSE POWER WHEN HURRICANE FIONA SLAMMED PUERTO
RICO. HERE’S WHY


THE HOMES ARE FULLY OFF THE GRID, WITH SOLAR POWER AND POTABLE WATER. A LOCAL
NONPROFIT PLANS TO BUILD HUNDREDS MORE.

[Photo: Courtesy Paola Quevedo]
 * 
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By Adele Peters2 minute Read

After Hurricane Fiona tore through Puerto Rico on Sunday, roads in the small
mountain city of Caguas—hit with more than 20 inches of rain—were underwater.
Landslides washed away some streets. As on the rest of the island, the electric
grid went down, and it wasn’t clear how many homes had been damaged or
destroyed.




But in two new prototype homes, the electricity stayed on.



[Photo: Courtesy Paola Quevedo]“They’re fully off the grid with electricity and
potable water,” says Jonathan Marvel, founder of Marvel Architects, a firm based
in both New York and Puerto Rico that designed the new houses.



The city donated the land, and a nonprofit called Acacia paid to build the homes
as an example for communities, with plans to build hundreds more across the
island and help residents build their own.





advertisement



With thick, reinforced walls, they’re designed to survive earthquakes and
hurricane-force winds. Passive design strategies, including insulation, shade,
and natural cross-ventilation, help keep them cool. Solar panels provide
electricity. A cistern stores and filters rain to provide drinking water. (Right
now, because of the hurricane, thousands of people in Puerto Rico lack potable
water.)

Five years ago, after two devastating hurricanes hit Puerto Rico—first Irma, and
then Maria just weeks later—Marvel, who was born on the island, started working
to help bring power to the most vulnerable communities through another project,
which became a nonprofit called Resilient Power Puerto Rico.



[Photo: Courtesy Paola Quevedo]The nonprofit has helped build 38 “solar hubs” at
community centers, with solar panels and battery systems that can provide
electricity for community members during emergencies and during the island’s
frequent blackouts.





“It’s a monthly occasion: You have a power outage,” Marvel says. Puerto Rico’s
beleaguered, bankrupt state utility, PREPA, repeatedly failed to keep the grid
running smoothly, and after it was privatized last year and taken over by Luma,
a Canadian company, it continues to struggle.

The solar hubs, meanwhile, have shown that they work. Because the hurricane had
disrupted communication, when we spoke on Monday morning Marvel hadn’t yet
learned whether the hubs were running, but he said it’s very likely they’ve made
it through the storm.

News


HOW TO LIVESTREAM THE FAST COMPANY INNOVATION FESTIVAL

Can’t make it to the Innovation Festival this year? We’re livestreaming some of
our main stage panels—for free! Here’s how to tune in.

Resilient Power Puerto Rico also helps communities build their own projects by
providing technical assistance and a tool that helps them quickly gather data
about their local vulnerability in disasters so that they can access grants more
easily. The group has also given away solar panels for private homes and
community buildings.



Nevertheless, Marvel saw the need to help design more resilient new houses. As
climate change makes hurricanes stronger, Puerto Rico’s risk of devastation
increases.



[Photo: Courtesy Paola Quevedo]The homes are designed to be as affordable as
possible while still resilient in disasters.



“I don’t want to say ‘affordable,’ because the average Puerto Rican income is
below the level of poverty in the United States,” Marvel says. “So this is a
housing system that’s going to require assistance to build.”



He argues that families should be able to get loans to build houses that can
survive hurricanes and other disasters. Existing houses should also have solar
panels, he says, and it should be as routine to get a loan for those panels as
it is to buy a car.

Residents will soon move into the first two houses, and Acacia plans to build
1,000 of the homes across Puerto Rico.

“If you have 10, 20, 100 per community, they become the standard for future
construction,” Marvel says. “And it’s a fairly DIY kit. With technical support,
these can be built by families themselves.”




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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adele Peters is a staff writer at Fast Company who focuses on solutions to some
of the world's largest problems, from climate change to homelessness.
Previously, she worked with GOOD, BioLite, and the Sustainable Products and
Solutions program at UC Berkeley

More

Call for Most Innovative Companies entries! Apply now.

500+ winners will be featured on fastcompany.com. Final deadline: 9/23.

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Who’s the new owner of Patagonia?!
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WHO’S THE NEW OWNER OF PATAGONIA?!

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 * 09-20-22
 * 6:00 am


THESE PROTOTYPE HOMES DIDN’T LOSE POWER WHEN HURRICANE FIONA SLAMMED PUERTO
RICO. HERE’S WHY


THE HOMES ARE FULLY OFF THE GRID, WITH SOLAR POWER AND POTABLE WATER. A LOCAL
NONPROFIT PLANS TO BUILD HUNDREDS MORE.

[Photo: Courtesy Paola Quevedo]
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

By Adele Peters2 minute Read

After Hurricane Fiona tore through Puerto Rico on Sunday, roads in the small
mountain city of Caguas—hit with more than 20 inches of rain—were underwater.
Landslides washed away some streets. As on the rest of the island, the electric
grid went down, and it wasn’t clear how many homes had been damaged or
destroyed.

advertisement

advertisement



But in two new prototype homes, the electricity stayed on.



[Photo: Courtesy Paola Quevedo]“They’re fully off the grid with electricity and
potable water,” says Jonathan Marvel, founder of Marvel Architects, a firm based
in both New York and Puerto Rico that designed the new houses.



The city donated the land, and a nonprofit called Acacia paid to build the homes
as an example for communities, with plans to build hundreds more across the
island and help residents build their own.

advertisement

advertisement


With thick, reinforced walls, they’re designed to survive earthquakes and
hurricane-force winds. Passive design strategies, including insulation, shade,
and natural cross-ventilation, help keep them cool. Solar panels provide
electricity. A cistern stores and filters rain to provide drinking water. (Right
now, because of the hurricane, thousands of people in Puerto Rico lack potable
water.)

Five years ago, after two devastating hurricanes hit Puerto Rico—first Irma, and
then Maria just weeks later—Marvel, who was born on the island, started working
to help bring power to the most vulnerable communities through another project,
which became a nonprofit called Resilient Power Puerto Rico.



[Photo: Courtesy Paola Quevedo]The nonprofit has helped build 38 “solar hubs” at
community centers, with solar panels and battery systems that can provide
electricity for community members during emergencies and during the island’s
frequent blackouts.



advertisement


“It’s a monthly occasion: You have a power outage,” Marvel says. Puerto Rico’s
beleaguered, bankrupt state utility, PREPA, repeatedly failed to keep the grid
running smoothly, and after it was privatized last year and taken over by Luma,
a Canadian company, it continues to struggle.

The solar hubs, meanwhile, have shown that they work. Because the hurricane had
disrupted communication, when we spoke on Monday morning Marvel hadn’t yet
learned whether the hubs were running, but he said it’s very likely they’ve made
it through the storm.

Resilient Power Puerto Rico also helps communities build their own projects by
providing technical assistance and a tool that helps them quickly gather data
about their local vulnerability in disasters so that they can access grants more
easily. The group has also given away solar panels for private homes and
community buildings.

advertisement


Nevertheless, Marvel saw the need to help design more resilient new houses. As
climate change makes hurricanes stronger, Puerto Rico’s risk of devastation
increases.



[Photo: Courtesy Paola Quevedo]The homes are designed to be as affordable as
possible while still resilient in disasters.



“I don’t want to say ‘affordable,’ because the average Puerto Rican income is
below the level of poverty in the United States,” Marvel says. “So this is a
housing system that’s going to require assistance to build.”

advertisement


He argues that families should be able to get loans to build houses that can
survive hurricanes and other disasters. Existing houses should also have solar
panels, he says, and it should be as routine to get a loan for those panels as
it is to buy a car.

Residents will soon move into the first two houses, and Acacia plans to build
1,000 of the homes across Puerto Rico.

“If you have 10, 20, 100 per community, they become the standard for future
construction,” Marvel says. “And it’s a fairly DIY kit. With technical support,
these can be built by families themselves.”


advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adele Peters is a staff writer at Fast Company who focuses on solutions to some
of the world's largest problems, from climate change to homelessness.
Previously, she worked with GOOD, BioLite, and the Sustainable Products and
Solutions program at UC Berkeley

More

Call for Most Innovative Companies entries! Apply now.

500+ winners will be featured on fastcompany.com. Final deadline: 9/23.




VIDEO

Who’s the new owner of Patagonia?!
Patagonia is a company that has never been afraid of a challenge. Yvon
Chouinard's leadership provides inspiration to other companies looking for a way
to reconcile capitalism and the climate crisis.
More Videos


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02:42








 



TECH

Presented By AWS


BRINGING THE CLOUD CLOSER: HOW EDGE COMPUTING IS UNLOCKING SPEED AND DRIVING
INNOVATION

Tech


SLACK’S BRAND-NEW FEATURE HAS AN UNEXPECTEDLY RICH BACKSTORY

Tech


HOW THIS COMPANY HOPES NFTS WILL TRANSFORM FANTASY SPORTS


NEWS

News


FREE MAKEUP TOUCH-UPS COMING TO A CONCERT VENUE NEAR YOU

News


RYAN REYNOLDS TEAMS UP WITH CREATIVELY TO OFFER $5,000 GRANTS TO CREATIVES
BEGINNING THEIR CAREERS

News


WHAT WOULD A EUROPEAN RECESSION MEAN FOR THE U.S. ECONOMY?


CO.DESIGN

Fast Company Magazine


WHY CROCS MADE A COMEBACK, AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN DESIGN

Co.Design


A NEW MUSEUM DEDICATED TO SPORTS LEGEND JACKIE ROBINSON GOES BEYOND THE FAMILIAR
STORY

Co.Design


FORGET WEIGHTED BLANKETS. YOU NEED A WEIGHTED PILLOW


WORK LIFE

Work Life


I’M A CHRONICALLY ILL STUDENT, AND ONE-WAY MASKING ISN’T ENOUGH

Work Life


4 COMMON WAYS LEADERS FAIL TO LEARN FROM A CRISIS

Work Life


THE UNEXPECTED WAYS THAT YOU’RE BEING PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE AT WORK

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