PAUL J LORENZ

THREE POLICIES / EVERYWHERE

YSoA Advanced Studio with Keller Easterling
Collaboration with Madison Sembler and Maggie Tsang
Nominated for publication in Retrospecta 40
Nominated for the Feldman Prize
Nominated for the RIBA President’s Silver Medal

Land Insurance Policy

The farm risk pool is intended to provide security to vulnerable real estate at risk of changing weather and climate. Buying membership to the farm risk pool ensures that in the event of a crisis, farmers have opportunity to use their skills. By offering a portion of their own land to the global network of farms, farmers secure their own future. The risk pool also sets up a social infrastructure that facilitates cross-cultural exchange further enriching the skills and careers of farmers. The risk pool offers farmers the chance to enter a labor circuit to earn a living while diversifying their knowledge of crops and techniques. In this risk pool, farmers are not only ensuring the value of their own land but are also benefiting from crops around the world.

In exchange for security and access to a global risk pool, farmers will be offering a minimum of 10% of their land to host a variety of fruit and vegetable crops that are able to be washed, transported, and sold at a small scale by circulating members. This land is cooperatively owned by the larger global pool with the intention of hosting a mobile network of co-farmers and trainees. Offering land as a co-payment not only generates international growth for all organization members but also provides a platform of mobility for all members to learn new skills, exchange cultural values, and secure connections should they need to evacuate their own farms.

The global labor network builds a resilient social infrastructure that connects farmers worldwide to a variety of crops, techniques, and cultural connections. The mobility network is intended to provide a platform for productive cultural exchange when stable and a network to absorb evacuees when in crisis. The global labor network is open to all members of the organization with the intention of leveraging mobility as a form of resiliency against crisis.

Members of the organization will offer a minimum of 10% of their property area as an entrance fee. This shared property is for the use of or conversion to non-mono crop farming. This shared property is subject to use by the organization as shared vegetable crop farming, housing for circulating members, equipment storage for shared use, and all harvesting and processing of shared crops. All crops grown on this shared property are cooperatively owned by the organization, circulating farmers who harvest the crops, and owners of the original property. The organization will collect 10% of the all annual profits made by selling these crops whether sold by circulating members or farm owners. In exchange for shared property, the organization offers access to a global labor network, the ability to easily migrate, annual dividends, and surplus equipment.

The organization will provide farm owners with a start up flat-pack processing shed to be assembled by the first wave of circulating members within 4 weeks of delivery. Mobile washing stations and farm-to-market vendor equipment will be provided to circulating members by the organization. Members are responsible for the proper maintenance and upkeep of shared equipment. Farm owners and circulating members are all responsible for their own tools.

The Processing Shed is a prefabricated shelter intended for use on the shared property. The prefabricated panels and ribs are all designed and packaged for ease of shipping in the 28” surplus shipping space afforded by typical shipping containers and pallets. The shed offers a variety of uses including vegetable washing and processing, meeting and gathering, and a classroom space. The unique design of the shed forms an identity associated with the global network.

Fishing Circuit Policy

The harbor risk pool is intended to provide security to vulnerable areas at risk of rising sea levels, graying fleets, storm surges, and other challenges facing marine industries globally. Buying membership to the harbor risk pool ensures that in the event of a crisis, workers have opportunity all over the world to use their skills to provide for themselves and their family. By offering seasonal use of shared equipment and facilities to the global network of harbors, workers secure their own future. The risk pool also sets up a social infrastructure that facilitates cross-cultural exchange further enriching international skills and careers. The risk pool offers workers the chance to enter a labor circuit to earn a living while diversifying their knowledge. In this risk pool, workers are not only insuring the value of their own property but are also benefiting from harbor economies around the world.

The Global Labor Circuit is intended to connect harbor workers in a productive cultural exchange. Guest laborers are matched by climate or need to a host harbor on a determined path from port to port. Each port offers a new experience to the guest workers allowing them to learn new skills while also providing necessary services to the host harbor such as an influx of fishermen or staff for high tourist season. Workers are housed either in specially designed accessory dwelling units or in retrofitted vacant housing near the harbor. Circulating members enjoy the chance to travel the world while building relationships. This social infrastructure offers them the opportunity to potentially relocate to a new harbor or learn practices to bring back to their home country. The Global Labor Circuit encourages safe mobility and cultural exchange yielding a robust global work force built to connect and support harbor economies.

Pictured above is an accessory dwelling unit specifically designed to accommodate two circulating members comfortably within the larger city, neighborhood, or marine context. It contains its own kitchen and bathroom that is easily tethered to a host unit for full serviceability. Housing for up to two circulating members at a time may be provided by means of constructing accessory dwelling units on the property of host-city members. Initial circulating members in need of ADU housing are responsible for its assemblage within 2 weeks of delivery. ADU’s are intended only for housing circulating members.

The organization of Global Harbors plans paths from port to port specifically to match the needs of circulating working members and host members. These paths are connected based on climates, industries, or asset/need match-making. Members wishing to work internationally may enter the Global Labor network and travel the path specifically designed for their needs and interests. When one harbor floods or needs to be evacuated for any reason, all members may enter the established circuit path designed for their harbor to safely migrate to a new location with immediate family members while maintaining the ability to live and work.

Eldercare Cooperative Policy

Naturally Declining Counties are defined as counties in which the net-out migration is greater than in-migration and more deaths occur than births. These US counties are at risk with populations without sufficient access to health care. Many of these counties are in rural areas with services and amenities accessible only by car. Many rural counties are entering the naturally declining category because older individuals want to stay in their homes in an attempt to avoid having to move to a nursing home. Naturally declining populations are poised to host a global mobile health care worker network. This allows older patients in need of care to age in place while providing a platform for international health care workers to increase their mobility and professional opportunities.

Vacant housing in these counties offers the opportunity to house a younger international demographic with the ability to care for these aging populations and revitalize declining towns. Utilizing the intrinsic value of a vacant home and relieving cities of their financial burden can also ameliorate the problem of concentrated aging and declining towns. Younger mobile international professionals are more likely to move to rural American counties. If naturally declining counties contributed to creating an infrastructure for an influx of international health care workers, than these counties will see a significant improvement in urban life and the well-being of their aging populations.

Naturally declining cities wishing to host a health care labor circuit must offer as a co-payment sufficient vacant housing to host a group of at least 10 health care workers. Vacancies must be adjacent to one another with proximity to the main street or downtown area of the town. Vacancies must be in livable condition with only minor updates necessary. The organization is only responsible for updates necessary to host a mobile healthcare circuit including the installation of a sandwich house and reconfiguring floor plans for additional bedrooms.

In order for this new incoming mobile population to participate in a successful community, adjacent vacant housing is retrofitted by pulling services such as kitchen, laundry, dining, and living to a new insert that connects two homes allowing for the space of each home to host accessible bedrooms. This new collaborative living typology keeps circulating healthcare professionals in a well-functioning social environment that allows them to both work more efficiently and also enjoy the company of fellow mobile health care workers.

The sandwich house utilizes the surplus 28” shipping space afforded by typical shipping containers and pallets. Prefabricated panels and fittings quickly convert two single family homes into one larger collective living space. This new housing collective pulls communal amenities to the center of the home and allows more bedrooms in the original houses. The sandwich house connects one long porch addressing the street while also complying with ADA restrictions so as to maintain an environment safe for live-in patients as well.