Two principal concepts of curiosity and ceaselessness surround the development of a research campus in the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station in Melrose, Florida. In this context, the primary design ideas pushed for a site with the least human activity, isolated from existing facilities. Responding to the issues posed by soil moisture in the region, tracing back to the immensity of the St. Johns River system that encompasses a large portion of Eastern Florida, the campus is predominantly elevated on stilts. Additionally, as a nod to the incredible ecological research that the forest is known for, another effort in the siting of the campus was completing the network of research sites across the biological station. This is expressed in the form of a tower that marks the beginning of the campus, declaring its otherwise invisible existence behind the vast thickets of forest trees and serving as an orienting element for visitors upon approach as well as during their strolls through the many possibilities of both the secondary and unintended paths that veer off of the main campus boardwalk. Upon arrival, guests are met by a conglomeration of paths that encourages the user's meandering about the campus. Imposing a programmatic gradient in the organization of campus buildings, the lecture hall and exhibit space which allow for both communal and individual activities begin the sequence of the campus. Formally, the buildings gesture towards the next point in the sequence despite the invisibility of the next destination. Moving along the paths, a separation of program types is observed - beginning with the more communal dining hall and event space. Then, with a level change that marks the transition from the hardwood forest to the mesic hammock - a plant community suitable for human inhabitation - the more private, individual-oriented residence halls are sited accordingly. Finally, as an exclamatory end to the campus sequence, the smooth and gradual paths take on a longer, more directional form as a pier that then meets nearby Suggs Lake.
December 2015