The average person in industrialized societies spends about 70 per cent of the day indoors (in many countries, this percentage is much higher). Staring at a computer screen all day, being sedentary, and breathing stale air is not good for our health. Furthermore, we don’t have much choice but to improve the features of our living space and adapt it to our needs.
On the other hand, efficient houses and buildings have become an integral part of the global decarbonization of cities because only sustainable housing can reduce the high energy and resource consumption in homes.
Now that contemporary architecture has established a clear direction, the question arises: What is the best solution that will transform urban places and improve our quality of life?
Of course, numerous sustainable houses and eco-buildings have emerged and cleverly overcome traditional construction’s shortcomings. The concept invented by the German architect Peter Heimerl, who designed a building modelled on a beehive, caught my attention.
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People should emulate these most valuable insects in many ways, including when it comes to constructing residential and commercial buildings.
Smart bees stay true to hexagons because they are one of the world’s strongest and most efficient shapes. The hexagonal structure can withstand a large load evenly distributed on all sides, preventing collapse and deformation. Also, choosing a hexagon in architecture allows us to cover large areas with the least amount of material, so it becomes clearer why the hexagon is probably the best choice for sustainable construction.
This was also recognized by Haimerl, who devised a beehive building in which cylindrical apartments are stacked on top of each other, like in a honeycomb.
The choice of a hexagon allowed the German architect to play with the space and use it creatively and efficiently. Haimerl claims that these cylindrical apartments appear 1.3 times larger than their actual size, offer a more dynamic and open living environment and foster a sense of community. Furthermore, sloping ceilings and walls provide usable space that would not exist in a traditional building, while two windows at the beginning and end of the cylinder are enough to illuminate the entire apartment with daylight, Designboom writes.
The beehive principle is becoming increasingly attractive to modern architects who have only recently seen what the bees have always known – the hexagon saves material, ensures solidity, and offers spaciousness.
Thus, the phrase “living like in a beehive” could soon take on a new, positive meaning if the idea of beehive buildings comes to life and our apartments and offices take on a hexagonal shape.
Milena Maglovski
