The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin has once again transformed its grounds into an imaginative playscape with the annual installation of Fortlandia, and this year's standout structure is 'Honeycomb Hideout', a human-sized beehive surrounded by abstract flowers designed to educate and entertain by harnessing the playful power of design, this according to reports from Texas Public Radio and the Texas Standard.
The interactive piece, which consists of 60 three-foot hexagonal honeycombs, was created by a team from STG Design, including at least a dozen designers and architects, as well as high-tech fabricators and engineers, while also considering the creative insights of their children; indeed, one child, nine-year-old Elliott Hirsch, son of STG architect Brett Hirsch, contributed his vision for the fort through sketches and then saw them brought to life through the project, which is not only a staple event for his family but also provides a unique way to step outside the usual professional parameters and engage in something that carries a direct, tangible impact on the community the construction process became a sort of ad-hoc extracurricular activity, pooling the additional hours from busy professionals, as Texas Public Radio detailed.
Georgina Cantu of STG highlighted that the design's intent was to replicate the experience of pollination, stating, "The idea is that the kids are actually the bee." This interactive learning environment was initially conceived through detailed CAD models that enabled collaboration with co-founding company Andalusia Design. Matt Blakeley, co-founder of Andalusia, noted that the project presented an opportunity to demonstrate their capacity to create something unique while building strong connections within the Austin community, as he mentioned in an interview with Texas Public Radio.
The fabrication of Honeycomb Hideout required Andalusia Design to translate STG's CAD models into physically sound structures, using automated CNC machinery to cut wood panels and to make metal brackets that were subsequently put together through a community effort comprising volunteers from STG, Andalusia, and Dunaway Engineering who met to glue, drill, and assemble the pieces over weekends beyond their typical work hours, in a sprint that spanned the last month leading up to the installation, as reported by Texas Standard.
The final product, the Honeycomb Hideout, is now a part of the Fortlandia exhibit, which Brett Hirsch declared a source of pride for him and his design team, reflected in the excited anticipation of his son, Elliot, who told Texas Public Radio that he couldn't wait to be "buzzing around" the completed beehive installation.