Charlotte Leroy

Mellifera aims to encourage more biodiversity onto the abandoned railway network on the outskirts of Paris, a building that is dedicated to harvesting and producing bee-related products such as honey and mead within an old railway station on the Little Belt. Revitalising the abandoned site welcomes a social space, shop, a bar and various spaces to taste and appreciate the many varieties of beehive materials and products throughout.

The interior design is inspired by the vertical operation of a beehive. Organised around a black central monolith and embodying the heart of the hive are three platforms which provides a vertical flow throughout the entire interior; going from light to dark and from the busiest to the quietest (exactly like the circulation of a hive).  

A network of copper pipes, alluding to the outside railway, provides a visual navigational tool leading from the outside in; not only framing the interior but also creating urban furniture along the Little Belt and throughout the interior through lights, railings and shelving. The remainder of the hive's production and materiality; propolis, wax and wood, is used to form tiles adorning the central monolith and the entire interior space. 

The rhythm of the building is modelled on when bees are most and least active. During daylight hours the building is reserved for the bees and their producers, once dusk settles the space invites the public to socialise, eat and drink the many edible varieties of bee-related products made on site. Biodiverse in nature and through its materiality amplifying the metaphor of beehive architecture, it encourages growth and a community spirit - strengthening the connection between humans and the natural world.