Alvearium - Jessica Carter
Alvearium is a handcrafted bee house providing shelter for solitary bees, pairing delicate aesthetic with a strong environmental function. Providing shelter from weather and prey, Alvearium includes individual nests for the bees through the use of log discs. Solitary bees are super pollinators and they're essential to our ecosystem.
Although you may not think it pollinators are a huge part of urban life. They’re vital to the way we live and function; so why are they so over looked? Alvearium is apart of an urban wildlife range that encourages us all to protect species such as solitary bees, bats, butterfly's and birds. You may have seen the small wooden wildlife ranges in garden centres however this stylised collection offers a more engaging aesthetic for us as much as it does for the wildlife. Alvearium, specifically, is a solitary bee house that provides a safe nesting space for a variety of solitary bee species. Did you know the pollination conducted by solitary bees accounts for a 3rd of the worlds food production. Without them the food yield we require would simply be impossible.
The roofs are made from a terracotta crank and slab built into cnc'd wooden moulds. The Steel frame is welded together and supports the stacked individual log discs. Over time, as the disc's grown moss and vegetation between them, the stack strengthens and provides a habitat that resembles closely of that the bee's would experience in the wild. In a solitary bee house the nests must be replaced after a female as nested there; as not to introduce infection and pests into the house. The individual disc's allow for easy changing and sourcing of new nests and the old ones can easily biodegrade after use, creating a sustainable cycle. The entire product can be planted into the ground, plant pots and/or flower beds to create a sturdy and long lasting garden ornament.