Conflation: Living Above the Store
Conflation - Living Above The Store: Function Integration in Cherry Hill and Beyond
With shopping malls in decline across the US, Conflation, considers ways to repurpose abandoned sites,
in this case by inverting the “separation of function” ethos characteristic of suburban zoning. In this
model, using packing and stacking strategies to infill asphalt acreages and elevate squat big-box
structures, all aspects of social and economic life converge into an urbanized mass. The new composition
is then activated by a projected thirty-minute image/sound loop, underscoring the dynamic interplay of
parts that define contemporary city life. The work was done in collaboration with Peter Rose and Anthony
Angelicola.
Conflation: Living Above the Store
Excerpts
Accretion
Row House Accretion
An accreted mass is formed using the total number of rowhouses that were removed during an historic
low ebb in Philadelphia’s population. The imagined complex serves as a proposal for a radical urban
redesign.
Bungalow Accretion
Like Row House Accretion, an accreted mass is built using the number of bungalows removed during
the turn of the 21st century in one town along the southern New Jersey coast.
South Broad St Case Study
South Broad Street Case Study
Degraded buildings along Philadelphia’s principle north/south corridor are identified and gilded in gold and silver leaf. This ongoing “beautification project” serves as a proposal, with the intent of returning the central corridor to its former elevated status. Gilded buildings include a Dunkin’ Doughnuts, a muffler shop, a paint store and a KFC, among others. Each completed composition includes sidewalks, parking lots and adjacent buildings, all in black lacquer.