Space-Time Development of the Municipality

The development of Plan Bee is structured into three phases:
The first phase involves the establishment of a bee sanctuary and the creation of a floral plaza.The second phase focuses on the development of the Flower Park, a living botanical museum.The third phase will consolidate the main axis of the project through the rehabilitation of streets and housing.

Phase 1: Bee Sanctuary

It consists of the formalization of the bee sanctuary and the floral plaza. Plan Bee will feature a series of exhibition rooms, research laboratories, production spaces, and multifunctional areas.

This area is a very important enclave of the village due to its scenic quality. The aim of Plan Bee was to create a project within the mountain that would emerge from the earth like the large boulders in the area, but be light and generate a new plaza as it unfolded. In formal terms, it is a sensitive exercise rooted in the landscape, on the edge of the mountain, next to the village, facing the castle, and with the riverbed at its feet.

The architectural program is developed across four floors, with the first housing the laboratories. Stone is a key element in the project, used in various ways, such as in the masonry walls, where stone extracted during excavation is reused. This is followed by the largest floor, where the entire program dedicated to the dissemination and exhibition of the world of beekeeping and bees takes place. Inside this floor, the aim was to create a new space that would provide the feeling of being outdoors, while actually being covered.

The cones form a vertical garden that allows people to observe bees pollinating the flowers from the inside. Overall, the entire building grows around the bees' Eden. As shown in the exploded axonometric view, all the pink areas are inhabited by bees. The bees have an efficient thermal self-regulation system for both winter and summer. Therefore, Plan Bee seeks to provide a safe, dry, and dark space for the growth of the hive. This includes structural stone elements, as shown in the image. The bees enter these hives through the southeast facade via a copper pipe embedded in the slab.

ENHANCING THE VALUE OF MATERIALITY. The stigma of underground construction as a synonym for precariousness is broken, turning it into a design opportunity. Therefore, the vertical cuts of the terrain are left exposed. To address certain challenges that arise from being underground, such as managing potential water leaks in the walls, a ventilated floor slab is used, and water is redirected through pipes below the slab, guiding it toward the cliff so it can flow into the river.

Within these large rammed earth cones, the most unique exhibition programs are developed. From the outset, the project sought to use local resources and materials as much as possible, making earth and stone key elements. In this case, leaving the rammed earth exposed is an intentional design decision. Plan Bee aims to serve as a manifesto to highlight the presence of rammed earth as a construction material, which is why it was left uncoated, allowing the different layers of earth to be visible.!.

On the other hand, a positive pressure ventilation system is proposed, which involves introducing air through the Canadian well and creating an internal pressure slightly higher than the external pressure. This causes the air to constantly seek an exit, resulting in a continuous airflow for air renewal due to the significant temperature difference. In these spaces, the same rammed earth cone functions as a chimney, with a draft inside, while traditional chimneys are used throughout the rest of the building.