Bee Bricks for Solitary Bees
by Mitchel Mesi
B.S. Arch ‘19, M.Arch ‘21 University at Buffalo
Why are bees important? It could be because some produce honey, or pollinate flowers and crops, or even something else entirely. Different bee species have different functions. Solitary bees, specifically Mason bees, are the most vital pollinators to our flowers and our food. These bees do not live in hives with others, and in an ever-developing urban fabric, they need homes.
We know that bees of all sorts are threatened in today’s society. Solitary bees need to be preserved as they are integral to pollination. In an effort to provide homes and spaces for solitary bees to nest, these Bee Bricks offer a unique take on a path to save the bees. Similar to other types of bee hotels and insect homes, Bee Bricks are made out of the same materials as typical bricks, and can replace or be installed anywhere the average brick would exist. These bricks share the formal typologies of the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library, but their design can expand beyond the influence of this local site.
This intervention provides spaces for humans and bees to safely interact with one another. The docile creatures and their habitats can be viewed and interacted with up close, and can help to change the way people view these creatures into something that recognizes them for what they truly are - harmless and beneficial to society.
by Mitchel Mesi
B.S. Arch ‘19, M.Arch ‘21 University at Buffalo
Why are bees important? It could be because some produce honey, or pollinate flowers and crops, or even something else entirely. Different bee species have different functions. Solitary bees, specifically Mason bees, are the most vital pollinators to our flowers and our food. These bees do not live in hives with others, and in an ever-developing urban fabric, they need homes.
We know that bees of all sorts are threatened in today’s society. Solitary bees need to be preserved as they are integral to pollination. In an effort to provide homes and spaces for solitary bees to nest, these Bee Bricks offer a unique take on a path to save the bees. Similar to other types of bee hotels and insect homes, Bee Bricks are made out of the same materials as typical bricks, and can replace or be installed anywhere the average brick would exist. These bricks share the formal typologies of the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library, but their design can expand beyond the influence of this local site.
This intervention provides spaces for humans and bees to safely interact with one another. The docile creatures and their habitats can be viewed and interacted with up close, and can help to change the way people view these creatures into something that recognizes them for what they truly are - harmless and beneficial to society.
NEW NATURES: NEW MIDDLES
UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
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UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
ECOLOGICAL PRACTICES RESEARCH GROUP GRADUATE STUDIO
In parallel with the 2020-21 Exhibit Columbus cycle, titled “New Middles: From Main Street to Megalopolis,” the Spring 2021 UB Ecological Practices studio explored the city of Columbus Indiana, its legacy of architecture and landscape design as civic projects, and developed speculative architectural interventions that reflect on Columbus’ design history while also responding to contemporary social and ecological conditions in the city and region. The sites for each proposal are centered in/around the city, but the aim is to speak more broadly to ways that design can impact the future of the American heartland and regions connected by the Mississippi Watershed. In the words of this year’s curators Mimi Zeiger and Iker Gil, “New Middles builds upon Columbus’ legacy as a laboratory for design as civic investment. In a moment when we most need reflection, creativity, and innovation to envision new ways of being, New Middles considers Columbus a place to destabilize assumptions, and imagine new architectures and landscapes as a way to positively move our cities forward.”
In parallel with the 2020-21 Exhibit Columbus cycle, titled “New Middles: From Main Street to Megalopolis,” the Spring 2021 UB Ecological Practices studio explored the city of Columbus Indiana, its legacy of architecture and landscape design as civic projects, and developed speculative architectural interventions that reflect on Columbus’ design history while also responding to contemporary social and ecological conditions in the city and region. The sites for each proposal are centered in/around the city, but the aim is to speak more broadly to ways that design can impact the future of the American heartland and regions connected by the Mississippi Watershed. In the words of this year’s curators Mimi Zeiger and Iker Gil, “New Middles builds upon Columbus’ legacy as a laboratory for design as civic investment. In a moment when we most need reflection, creativity, and innovation to envision new ways of being, New Middles considers Columbus a place to destabilize assumptions, and imagine new architectures and landscapes as a way to positively move our cities forward.”
UB ARCHITECTURE
FACULTY
Joyce Hwang, Associate Professor, Exhibit Columbus University Design Research Fellow 2021
STUDIO STUDENTS
Nicholas Blackwell
Cristian Copete
Bethany Greenaway
John Henning
Samanatha Kalinski
Marietta Koeberle
Mitchel Mesi
Gabrielle Morales
Madelaine Ong
Yogesh Ravichandar
Ayushi Vora
Ben Wemesfelder
FACULTY
Joyce Hwang, Associate Professor, Exhibit Columbus University Design Research Fellow 2021
STUDIO STUDENTS
Nicholas Blackwell
Cristian Copete
Bethany Greenaway
John Henning
Samanatha Kalinski
Marietta Koeberle
Mitchel Mesi
Gabrielle Morales
Madelaine Ong
Yogesh Ravichandar
Ayushi Vora
Ben Wemesfelder