ABSTRACT
The myriad effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) threaten the psychological climate of the World Trade Center area, post-9/11. One of the more common symptoms of PTSD is hyper-arousal, an uncomfortably heightened state of sensory perception. This condition of hyper-arousal is a point of departure for the design of a ferryboat terminal which serves hundreds of thousands of commuters, many of whom work in and around the World Financial Center. The membrane of the ferry terminal becomes a physical narrative of visitors' changing states of arousal. The membrane compliments and strengthens the programmatic devices of arousal by responding to each space structurally. This creates a continuous experiential index of the visitor's emotional state. The construction of this flexible membrane necessarily creates an ambiguity of boundaries, and, as a mirror of the visitor's emotions, is therapeutic. As an evolving interactive resource, the ferry terminal transforms the discomfort of a hyper-aroused state into a pleasurable experience.
