FEMA ANNOUNCES CYPRESS COTTAGE PARTNERS
SELECTED TO BUILD UP TO $74.5 MILLION DOLLARS
WORTH OF HOMES FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS

Consortium Formed with Lowe's Home Centers, Renowned Designers, Engineers, and Consultants to build Homes for Hurricane Victims in Louisiana

Baton Rouge, Dec 22: Cypress Cottage Partners announced today it has been granted up to $74.5 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to build housing for Louisianians displaced from their homes by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Cypress Cottage Partners proposed to build homes in the Treme/Lafitte Neighborhood of New Orleans, Jackson Barracks, Lake Charles, and Abbeville.

The award, funded through the $400 million Alternative Housing Pilot Program (AHPP) created by Congress last June, was established to identify alternative forms of emergency housing and to transfer individuals on the Gulf Coast from FEMA temporary housing into smarter, safer, and stronger structures.

Cypress Cottage Partners submitted plans for “Lowe's Katrina Cottages” and “Carpet Cottages” in response to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's call for alternative disaster housing designs.  The Louisiana Recovery Authority's (LRA) September 2006 “Request for Ideas” invited firms to submit proposed housing solutions and structures, from which the Cypress Cottage Partners plan was selected.

Ben Dupuy, a New Orleans native and principal with Cypress Cottage Partners, said, “Katrina Cottages and Carpet Cottages are the future of disaster housing, and Congress, FEMA, and the Louisiana Recovery Authority should be applauded for recognizing the need for safe, dignified, and affordable alternatives to travel trailers.”

“Lowe's Katrina Cottages” are single-family homes made from high-quality durable materials and are designed to withstand hurricane force winds. “Carpet Cottages” are single-story, multi-unit structures built in the style of Creole cottages.  Designed by renowned architect and town planner Andres Duany, “Carpet Cottages” achieve significant density on small footprints and are ideal for elderly housing, disabled housing, and multi-family housing.

Marianne Cusato, designer of the first Katrina Cottage, who recently entered into a licensing agreement with The Lowe's Companies, said, “We feel privileged to be working with the Louisiana Recovery Authority and FEMA to bring Katrina Cottages to the people of Louisiana.  While the idea of the cottage has evolved in many directions over the past year, we are thrilled to see it being implemented as its original intended use.”

About Cypress Cottage Partners :

Cypress Cottage Partners was formed to implement alternative forms of emergency housing for disaster victims in Louisiana.  It is a consortium consisting of Cypress Realty Partners, Marianne Cusato, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, The Lowe's Companies, Dietrich Industries, and The Shaw Group.

Cypress Cottage Partners: www.cypresscottagepartners.com
Cypress Realty Partners: www.cypressgroupdc.com
Marianne Cusato: www.cusatocottages.com
Andres Duany: www.dpz.com
Lowe's Home Improvement: www.lowes.com/loweskatrinacottages
Dietrich Industries: www.dietrichindustries.com
The Shaw Group: www.shawgrp.com/

For More Information Contact:

Ben Dupuy
Bdupuy@CypressGroupdc.com

Irina Woelfle
305-447-8848
Irina@IWPRGroup.com