through a satirical lens, piles imagines manhattan’s gradual extrusion upward through an artificial accretion of fill raising the land, mirroring the rising sea level. this gesture transforms the city itself into a site of ongoing construction and self-preservation, where the literal piling of earth becomes a metaphor for the accumulation of capital and labor required to sustain urban life.

piles redefines what it means to cultivate resilience in a world centered around risk management and mitigation. it is a continuously negotiated act of survival as the sea levels raise and disrupt the flows of capital and normalcy if functioning within a highly manicured city.

the project draws on real precedents across the tristate area where land-raising and replenishment initiatives in queens, new jersey, and battery park reveal how mitigation has transitioned into adaptation.