Apiary Apartments

‘Insect hotels’ have become a fashionable object in recent years. They help increase the biodiversity of our gardens and cities by hosting species that play a crucial role in our natural environment. Today, no community garden, wildlife reserve, school garden or local allotment seem to exist without a ‘bug hotel’.

Sadly, the needs of native solitary bees are often overlooked. They provide an essential service to our ecosystem by pollinating our crops and ensuring that our natural habitat stays healthy and productive. They are also known to pollinate plants more efficiently than honey bees. 

︎︎︎ Royal Mail stamps, bees of Britain, 2015

With Apiary Apartments, we focused on creating simple structures specifically designed for these bees. Built with biodegradable materials, the hotel creates the perfect conditions for them to thrive. Standing a metre off the ground, positioned in full sun facing south or southeast, the design proposes a series of structures inspired by modern and contemporary art.

︎︎︎ Karl Blossfeldt, Equisetum hyemale, 1898–1928

                                                                                      ︎︎︎ Constantin Brancusi, Column Without End, version I, 1918

︎︎︎ Sol LeWitt, [no title], 1982