Kew Gardens has been home to many notable sculptures and architectural pieces such as Henry Moore’s “Reclining Mother and Child” and Marks Barfield Architect’s “Tree Top Walkway”. So it was no surprise when it was chosen to showcase “The Hive”.

The Hive is the award-wining pavilion designed by artist Wolfgang Buttress and built by architectural practice BDP and engineers Simmonds Studio. It was first created for the 2015 Milan Expo where it attracted over 3.3 million visitors and became one of the main attractions. It is the first structure to be brought back to Britain after an Expo.

The Hive brings together art, science, sound and landscape representing the important relationship between bee and human.

Prompted by the theme "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life" the Hive seeks to showcase the relationship between humans and bees. It’s outer structure is made from aluminum rods arranged hexagonally in a honeycomb fashion. The porous construction mimics the whirlwind motion made by a swarm bees when in fight. The interior however contains a hidden sphere which is barely discernible from the outside. The sphere is made up of 1000 LED luminaries that light up when vibrations are felt in sensors that detect bee activity. That coupled with a soundscape of pre-recorded bee sounds provides a multi-sensory experience for visitors to the pavilion that represents the current state of the bee colony.

When inside visitors can then engage with the pavilion and feel the presence of the bees as if they themselves are part of their community. Rather than being casual external observers they are enveloped by the pavilion and involved in the experience. Kew Gardens which is notable for being the largest garden in Britain is the perfect context for the Hive. The pavilion can take advantage of the huge bee population in the garden spurned by the numerous flowers and plants present thus allowing visitors to observe the bees in their natural environment.

The Hive pavilion was made available to the public earlier this summer and will be open until November 2017.

More photos in the gallery below.

All images © Dacian Groza / Mark Hadden / Hufton+Crow / Jeff Eden