EL04

Honeybees - The Original innovators: An Interactive Case Study of the U of G Honey Bee Research Centre 

5/13/2026|EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING|STRUCTURED

4.00 ConEd Learning Hours
8:30a.m.-12:30p.m.

Join us on the University of Guelph (UofG) campus, a short 30-minute drive west of the  2026 Conference site, at the brand-new Honey Bee Research Centre (HBRC), a part of the school’s Ontario Agricultural College (OAC). This is a behind-the-scenes look and sneak peek before the June 2026 grand opening of the state-of-the-art facility that just received occupancy in late summer 2025. UofG Physical Resources Campus Planning staff, together with architects from Moriyama and Teshima Architects (MTA) as well as the HBRC experts, will facilitate a half-day experiential learning seminar that includes a visit through the 100-hive apiary grounds to learn about apiculture and an in-depth facility tour of the HBRC supported by a case study presentation on the building’s design and construction. The 15,000-sf facility contains spaces for research, production, and outreach programs. It serves as a demonstration facility for best practices in commercial beekeeping and honey production, enables world-class research on honey bee health, and acts as a vehicle for increased community outreach and public education. The pollination that honey bees provide is a vital link in the production of food for humans and other species. Factors that put the honey bee population at risk include parasites,  pathogens, pesticide use, and loss of habitat. Waterloo Region has a rich industrial history and has been at the heart of southwest Ontario's manufacturing engine for over 150 years. The architectural legacy of the Region’s industrial past is evidenced by an impressive collection of buildings that reflect this era. Through adaptive reuse, new projects are breathing life into these old buildings, celebrating our industrial heritage, while  creating a distinctive and optimistic architectural fabric for our cities.

Learning Objectives
1. Discuss the climate impact on honey bees and our environment that is affecting us today and in the future.
2. Learn about the planning, design, and construction of the HBRC building as a case study, learning about laboratory space for research and for the extraction/processing and packaging of hive products.
3. Understand how bees are the original innovators due to their complex, collaborative societal structures, intricate nest-building abilities, and roles in human history.
4. Learn about apiculture, the history of beekeeping, bee anatomy, bee classification and
the stages of bee growth.

Kristiana Schuhmann, Architect, OAA Associate director of campus planning and asset management, University of Guelph
Corey Brown, OAA Associate architect, Moriyama Teshima Architects
 
Registrants will meet at the Kreitmaker Experiential Learning Departure Hub in the Conference Lounge to take a transfer to the destination.

To register, click here.

To learn more about this session's speaker(s), click here.

To return to the Conference Program, click here.

 

  

 

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