Bee research centre

LocationPosieux, Switzerland
Size1500m²
Year2025
StatusCompetition

Set within a bee meadow on the Agroscope campus, the Centre L’abeille brings together scientific laboratories, offices, and spaces for honey and wax production.

The building is both gateway and backdrop to the bee meadow, a low slung timber pavilion is framed by covered terraces at either end. The meadow is arranged in bands of coloured flora that follow the contours of the existing hill, a rainbow of flowers.

The proposal seeks to create a welcoming destination for both the campus community and visitors, making the activities of research and beekeeping visible and accessible. A sequence of terraces, stairs and glazed walkways links the surrounding landscape with the laboratories, beekeepers’ terrace and production spaces, creating an intuitive route through the building while offering glimpses into the work taking place within.

Two ground floors — production spaces on the lower ground open directly onto the service road via a sheltered loading bay whilst labs at the upper level look north onto the bee meadow.
A generous covered terrace at the building's upper level acts as a team social space whilst also providing changing spaces for bee-workers to de-robe after a day's work in the field.
The building, running along the campus’s north service road is accessed via a covered external staircase set behind the existing concrete retaining wall. The front facade of the building offers a place of respite, shelter and gathering in an otherwise industrial context.

Credits

TeamMatt Ball, Annebé Brouwer, Carlotta Lagazzi, Zhifeng Li
CollaboratorMicha Gamper
Structural engineerMerz Kley Partner
MEP engineerSkelly & Couch
Lab consultantHKS inc
Bee consultantDr. Luke Dixon
Landscape consultantIrene Djao-Rakitine

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