Can the rowhouse still show us new possibilities?
This invited group show at the Philadelphia Art Alliance asked participants to reflect on the idea of home. Our installation focused on the Philadelphia rowhouse, a typology that spans every neighborhood and demographic. A large-scale matrix of rowhouse floor plan variants organized by width, length and stair configuration illustrated the endless variety and nuance afforded by the constraints of the attached row typology. An interactive model allowed visitors to experiment with interior layouts and explore possibilities latent in their own homes.
RE: ROWHOUSE
Philadelphia Art Alliance / ISA / Philadelphia, PA / 2015
Since Philadelphia’s founding, deep lots with narrow street frontages bounded on both sides by adjacent structures have defined many of its neighborhoods. These straightforward three-dimensional boxes, typically 16 feet wide, 40 feet deep, and 35 feet tall, have proved remarkably flexible, accommodating shifts in demographics, densities, and lifestyles from the 1700s to today, when more than 400,000 such sites dominate the urban fabric.
Visualizing the scale of the box as it informs the logic of a home’s elemental components, the wall graphic matrix exposed spatial opportunities and limitations, pointing toward gaps and patterns ripe for future study.
An inherently affordable and energy-efficient living model, the rowhouse was recharged following the recession of 2008. As patterns of daily life evolved, rowhouses adapted, reconfiguring internal and external elements to accommodate shifting definitions of home. Stairs, stoops, kitchens, baths, roofs, windows became potential sites for investigation and innovation.
The interactive model, designed with reconfigurable floor plates, stairs and interior furniture, became an opportunity for visitors to play, exploring the limitations and possibilities of the typology that most Philadelphians call home.
