The Architecture Foundation is pleased to be running a new open and international competition that calls on design teams to submit proposals for urban beehives, bird/bat-boxes and planters.
The competition is being organized by The AF on behalf of inmidtown, the business improvement district for the central London areas of Holborn, Bloomsbury and St. Giles. The competition calls for submissions that offer distinctive yet functional designs that help enhance biodiversity in this urban context. It is envisaged that the winning proposals will be mass-produced and installed in a variety of sites across the inmidtown area. More information on the competition after the break.
The competition is inspired by and is envisaged to complement inmidtown’s existing initiative, “Midtown Buzz”, which provides free beehives and bee-keeping training to its members who wish to produce their own honey on site. The project has now completed its first year, with the first honey harvest collected this September.
During this first phase, it has become clear to the members of the scheme that although beehives exist whose designs have stood the test of time for bees and beekeepers alike, these hives are not in fact ideal when relocated from the traditional rural context into urban areas. As a natural continuation of the “Midtown Buzz” scheme, and in order to ensure its success and expansion, the Client has commissioned The Architecture Foundation to run this competition for a truly urban beehive.
Deadline for submissions is 28 November 2011 with a shortlist announcement expected in January 2012. Shortlisted designs will be prototyped and displayed in February 2012 with the winner announced following the exhibition. For more information, visit the official website here.