RESEARCH / BILOXI / GULF COAST HOUSING SYSTEMS DEMONSTRATION CENTER

The Mississippi Gulf Coast lost 65,000 houses to Hurricane Katrina. Over a year after the storm, the majority of the displaced families are still without adequate housing, and many are still in trailers on their property struggling to sort out the options available to them. However, as with most problems, the road to a solution offers opportunities for innovation and new ways of working. The unprecedented loss of houses and the resulting demand is changing the house-building industry in Mississippi.

Mississippi State University has received a federal Small Business Administration grant to create a center and outreach program to demonstrate and to educate property owners, builders, government officials, and others about the various house-building systems. The Gulf Coast Housing Systems Demonstration Center is being created by MSU's College of Architecture, Art + Design. The project includes a demonstration village and published material to explain and promote alternatives to typical site-built, wood framed construction. In the past, such alternative systems have had limited use in Mississippi because, in most cases, the availability of labor and materials made traditional wood-framed building seem like the best method. However, the unusual housing demand and the increased awareness of the need to build stronger has caused many people to consider new methods. The Gulf Coast Housing Systems Demonstration Center’s mission is to provide the public with information and examples of these various systems and methods in order to help people rebuild and to encourage the development of local building businesses.