Gallery: These Aren't Futuristic Homes for People. They're Luxury Condos for Bees

  • Image may contain Wood Plywood Building Architecture Brick and Hardwood
    Photo: Finn Ståle Felberg
    01

    2014074-OS-N25

    Snøhetta designed these sleek beehives for the rooftop of Mathellen Oslo, a food court in the city’s Grünerløkka district.
  • Image may contain Wood Plywood Human Person Clothing Footwear Apparel and Shoe
    Photo: Morten Brakestad
    02

    Bikuber på Mathallen

    For a few years, Grünerløkka has developed similarly to Brooklyn: once-industrial factories and old lots are being flipped into urban greenhouses, craft breweries, and farm-to-table restaurants.
  • Image may contain Wood Plywood Animal Invertebrate Honey Bee Bee and Insect
    Photo: Morten Brakestad
    03

    Bikuber på Mathallen

    That includes a local beekeeper who proposed building hives for 160,000 bees next to the food court’s rooftop garden.
  • Image may contain Art Pottery Porcelain Jar and Vase
    Photo: Morten Brakestad
    04

    Bikuber på Mathallen

    The Snøhetta architects created three ideas, and let the beekeeper choose.
  • Image may contain Plot Diagram and Plan
    Illustration: Snøhetta
    05

    Snøhetta-Urban beehive diagram

    They shells act like casings for standard foam beehives. The different chambers are for the worker bees and the queen bee.
  • Image may contain Human Person Building City Town Urban Wood Office Building Downtown High Rise and Architecture
    Photo: Morten Brakestad
    06

    Bikuber på Mathallen

    So as not to disorient the bees, the architects designed the exterior of the beehives to be as organic and familiar as possible, by reflecting the honeycomb structures on the interior.
Read More
Donald Trump Is Ready for Fight Night. So Are Donors
The UFC event on the White House’s South Lawn is the president’s birthday gift to himself. Sources expect it to be a lobbying extravaganza.
Hugo Lowell
Wrongful Arrest Exposes Failures in One of the Oldest Police Face-Recognition Tools in the US
The ACLU is suing two Florida police departments over the arrest of a Fort Myers man in a child-abduction case, saying officers treated a flawed face-recognition match as a near-certain ID.
Dell Cameron
China Opens World’s First Wind-Powered Underwater Data Center
With an initial capacity of 24 megawatts, the innovative data center uses seawater as a natural cooling system.
Fernanda González
These Are the Best $400 Digital Notebooks
The newest Kindle Scribe means there are now three digital notebooks you can buy in the $400 price range. Here’s which one you should get.
Nena Farrell
The Best Kindles to Take Your Library Anywhere
I’ve tried every single Kindle. Here’s how Amazon’s ebook readers stack up.
Nena Farrell
Get the Most Out of Your iPad With These Accessories
Kit out your Apple tablet with our favorite stands, cases, keyboards, and styli.
Julian Chokkattu
Finally, Some Affordable Laptops That Won’t Fail You in College
Laptops for college should be portable, offer long battery life, and remain reasonably affordable. Based on testing hundreds of laptops, these are my top picks.
Luke Larsen
The World Cup’s Trionda Ball Challenges Traditional Aerodynamics
According to new research, Trionda would show less unpredictable movements in actions such as corner kicks or free kicks. However, in powerful and long-distance clearances it would lose range.
Fernanda González
Amnesty International Warns That World Cup Fans Face Potential Human Rights Violations
The organization claims that the FIFA tournament could have impacts on the rights of local people and visiting soccer fans in all three host countries.
Fernanda González
This World Cup, You Can Watch the Game From a Ref’s Point of View
Referees for the 2026 World Cup will be wearing cameras positioned at their temples, allowing TV audiences to see a live view of the pitch from a vantage point they never have before.
Ben Dowsett
Mapping Every Flock License Plate Reader Near US World Cup Stadiums
Most US World Cup stadiums are surrounded by surveillance cameras. Want to know if you’re being watched on your way to a match? These maps will help you.
Maddy Varner
Artificial Intelligence Sneaks Into the World Cup Thanks to Google Gemini
The Argentine national team will be Google’s test bench and technological showcase during the World Cup.
Rosa Jiménez Cano