Honey factory is a tool for bee-keeping that makes it easy to collect and store large amounts of honey. It also helps bees stay warm. It also prevents the spread of disease.
The first step in collecting honey is called uncapping. This involves removing the wax caps from honeycomb cells. The beekeeper can do this manually or with an uncapping machine.
It is a Micro-architecture for urban bee-keeping
When people think of beekeeping, they often imagine the idyll of bees kept in a few hives in backyards and gardens, flying in and out to collect pollen and nectar, gently buzzing on a warm summer’s day. However, most of the honey you will buy in stores is from large scale factory farming – just like the vast majority of food we eat.
Keeping bees has been an ancient practice. The earliest known depictions of beekeeping date back to 10,000 years ago, when humans used simple hives and pottery vessels. Eventually, domestication of bees became a more regular occurrence, and they were kept in hives built from hollow logs and wooden boxes. More recently, beekeepers have been placing hives on rooftops to pollinate the sedum ground cover on green roofs. These hives can also be used to produce honey, as well as other products such as propolis and wax. These innovations have made it easier for urban beekeeping to grow.
It is a Micro-architecture for environmental bio-monitoring
The number of honey bees has been decreasing at a rapid rate. This phenomenon has received limited attention despite the honey bee’s importance in global agriculture and ecology. One possible reason for the decline is the growing disconnect between people and nature. This disconnect is referred to as the ‘extinction of experience’.
The Honey Factory is an urban information point regarding the urgent issue of the dwindling numbers of honey bees. It contains a traditional beehive and the necessary equipment for processing honey directly from the hive. It also provides a space for public interaction with honey bees and nature.
The structure is clad with stainless steel hexagonal panels inspired by the natural geometry of the honeycomb. These panels are perforated to allow for light and ventilation. They are designed to optimise conditions for a beehive. This includes the use of a cooling system to reduce the temperature in the hive. It is also heated to decrease the viscosity of the honey and to deactivate yeast cells to increase shelf life.
It is a Micro-architecture for education
The sculptural beehives are part of a larger regeneration scheme to revitalise the area around the Akerselva River in Oslo, where Mathallen is located. By introducing honey bees to the city, the project hopes to encourage people to engage with nature and understand the importance of the honey bee’s role in food sustainability.
In computer engineering, microarchitecture (also called uarch or microprogram architecture) is the lower level hardware organization of a central processing unit or digital signal processor. This is different from the programming model seen by software programmers, which is described as architecture by scholars.
The design of the tower reflects the hive’s structure and encourages visitors to interact with the bees through a transparent glazing between both sides. The immersive experience of entering a narrow and atmospheric shaft with a beehive suspended above it enhances the connection of the public with the bees and can be a significant motivating force for conservation. The hive’s transparency also reduces the risk of spectators getting stung by bees.
It is a Micro-architecture for communication
Honey factory is an open platform that protects traditional beehives and enables the collection of honey. It also provides a space for information and education. It is also an instrument for environmental bio-monitoring. It has been used since 2015 by the Veterinary Faculty of Milan and Municipality of Milan for collecting data on micro-dusts that are easily visible on bees’ hairs.
The bees in the hive are commonly pacified with smoke before collection, as this reduces their aggressiveness and obscures their communication via pheromones. This step is called hive pacification and it is an important part of the Flow Hive process. The combs are then collected and subjected to uncapping, which involves scraping off the wax caps of each honeycomb cell one at a time.