While visiting Manhattan I was disturbed by the disconnect between the city and the water. This project addresses that relationship by projecting the land out over the water, creating a fifth hill. This new hill engages the water programmatically and physically. The water and ferry are inserted into the project on the ground level and both can be observed from the interior.

The project is separated into two programmatic bars. The museum bar houses the café and exhibition space and projects straight out breaking the barrier between water and land. The terminal bar groups the major circulation based program including the ferry dock, waiting area, and bike shop. This bar projects out and then turns to run along the land water boundary reintegrating the museum and terminal programs.

This new hill can be experienced from inside, outside, under, inside, and on top. The top of the museum bar is covered in grass and is occupied year round. In the summer it can be used as an outdoor theater and play space and in the winter it can be used for sledding and winter play. This roof treatment also helps to insulate the interior space.

The top of the terminal bar is a waterfall. Not only is this water feature ascetically pleasing, it is used to both heat and cool the building. In the summer the act of falling cools the water and is the used in the radiant cooling system inside the ferry terminal. In the winter the waterfall is covered in a solar tarp allowing the sun to heat the water and building interior.

The relationship of water and land is translated through this ferry terminal, from the buildings massing, to the heating and cooling method for the interior spaces. Careful consideration of the physical and theoretical threshold between Governors Island and the water that surrounds it resulted in the ferry terminals final form.