RESIDUAL_FIELDS Boca Raton, FL
The project is located just north of the main Florida Atlantic University Campus. As a connection to the University and the FAU Research Park, the goal is to integrate the community at large to FAU.
The Boca Raton Air & Space Museum also lies directly adjacent to the Boca Raton Airport, serving as a satellite fixed base operation. The position of the project between the airport, FAU and the arterial I-95 highway makes it a prime spot for attracting users passing through Boca Raton.
The storied history of this site also makes it an interesting location for an air and space museum. Before development, this area was home to a variety of burrowing animal species. Today, a small portion of the site remains a preserve for burrowing owls, gopher tortoises, and others that live in symbiosis in the caverns they each create. As this area was developed, and the airport runways were constructed, it became a strategic military base location during WWII. The proximity to the coast allowed for an efficient base to be positioned here. Also, radar technology was first tested at this historic military site further cementing its importance. On the existing concrete pad, the remnants of one of the WWII hangars still exists as historical residue imbuing the physical site and with a sense of place rooted in history.
The rich history of this area and its connection to the preservation of natural habitats that thrive here were main drivers in the formation of the project. Investigating, extracting, and reforming these residues informed the making and meaning of the architecture.
