Terminal Brick Works operates as a brick reclamation facility inserted into the existing shell of the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Powerhouse in Jersey City, treating the structure not as a preserved artifact, but as an active and temporary participant in material transformation. A curtain scaffold wraps the building, drawing from the language of magic to veil and reveal industrial processes while inviting public observation through movement and visual permeability. It also functions as a protective filter, capturing brick dust and shielding the surrounding city. Within, brick collected from across the region is either restored into reusable units or crushed into sediment, returning it to an elemental state. Over time, the host structure is gradually dismantled and consumed by the systems it contains. The building shifts from container to material source until only the curtain scaffold and machinery remain, leaving behind a visible trace of architecture’s afterlife.
