The Architecture of Bees

Join us on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, 6-8pm for the opening reception of The Architecture of Bees, an exhibition curated by architect and beekeeper Wendy Heger, AIA and on view through August 26, The Architecture of Bees is an immersive educational visual arts exhibition that brings together designers, architects, naturalists, and beekeepers to illustrate the importance and influence of bees on human design and construction.

Human interest in honeybees dates back to prehistory, at least 15,000 years ago. Our study of bees over the millennia has illuminated the brilliance of the hexagon shape found in their hives and nest design, their organizational and communication techniques, their thermal controls, and the role they play in pollination and the food supply.

Exhibition highlights include:

• A human-scale demonstration of "bee space," enabling visitors to walk into and experience the spatial dimensions of a beehive.

• A celebration of the hexagon – the fundamental shape which makes up honeycomb - the ideal shape for economizing labor and resources while maximizing storage volume and strength. The exhibition highlights examples of contemporary architecture employing the hexagon as a key construction and design component.

• A commissioned illustration of honeybees over Downtown Houston by architects and designers Amna Ansari, AIA and Marcus Martinez, AIA with Associates UltraBarrio.

• Methods of cooling and heating human homes and office buildings that find similarities within bee colonies. Bees have an amazing ability to regulate the temperature of their hives using their bodies.

• An explanation of the sophisticated and complex mass communication of bees, key to the success and survival of the hive. Worker bees use the “waggle dance” to communicate distance, direction, and quality of nearby nectar, directing workers to resources. A waggle dance pattern will wind its way through the gallery.

• A living beehive contained in a case.

Lone Star Bee Company will be sampling their delicious honey at the opening!

The Architecture of Bees is accompanied by several public programs including bee-keeping courses and pollinator walks in collaboration with Buffalo Bayou Partnership; a Biophilia and Bees lecture; and a beehive-inspired architectural workshop for kids.

MAJOR SPONSORS
National Endowment for the Arts
Innovative Environments
City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance

EXHIBITION DESIGN
Associates UltraBarrio

EXHIBITION & PROGRAMMING PARTNERS
ASHRAE Houston Chapter
Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Heger Photography
Houston Beekeepers Association 
Houston Botanic Garden
Houston Public Library
Lone Star Bee Company
Page (Art Chavez, Matt Vaclavik, Garrett Neubauer, Flor Barajas, Jamie Flatt, Elizabeth Smith)