The Apiarium Part 2 Project 2020 Oliver Hills University of Bath | UK “If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live.” (Maurice Maeterlinck) The Apiarium explores the considerable value of bees to the global ecosystem. A hub for research and education forms the backbone of the scheme, aiming to continue research into the causes, effects and solutions of pollinator loss. The architectural proposition puts the interaction between bees, humans and place, at the centre of the narrative and tectonic resolution. Taking cues from geology, vernacular architecture, and traditional beekeeping techniques, the building grows from the earth upon which it sits and reacts to the uses and requirements of bees and people. The walls are designed to be ‘inhabited’ at various scales. Bamboo tubes rammed into the earthen walls provide a home for solitary bees. The gatehouse takes on the roll of an apiary with it’s walls being home to hundreds of cylindrical clay hives, giving bees leave from the external face, whilst allowing keepers access from within. At a human scale, the walls throughout the scheme create poché spaces to sit, circulate, store and observe. Oliver Hills Tutor(s)