Instant Rehab

533-7 East 5th Street, Manhattan

In conjunction with Conrad Engineers, renovation of three Nineteenth century tenement buildings in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 48 hours. A demonstration project funded by the Department of Housing & Urban Development to explore the application of prefabrication technology to deteriorated urban housing to reduce the costs of construction and eliminate relocation costs. Preassembled bathroom and kitchen units were fabricated on a pier in the East River of Manhattan, trucked to the site and stacked, one on top of another. Prefinished material was placed on scaffolding around the buildings. The tenants were temporarily housed in hotels and their furnishings placed in vans. Work was performed without interruption. After 48 hours the tenants returned to their completely renovated homes.