OPPORTUNITY
Our friends at Landsec invited us to develop their idea to re-attract families back to their out-of-town shopping centre, White Rose, at Leeds. To make a day of it, the client suggested we develop their idea of a “maze” as an additional attraction to their F & B and recreational activities such as their children’s playground.
AMBITION
To enhance the customer experience by delivering a themed activation that is in keeping with the overall theme of “Bloom” across our client’s sites. The beekeeping project at White Rose is a sustainable activity that the team are rightly proud of, so the concept of “Bee Amaze-d” was taken as the basis for the installation’s development as it combined fun and education elements, for all ages.
HOW
A real hedge maze was designed for the site, adjacent to the playground. To allow parents/carers to keep an eye on children on either site, we designed and built a viewing platform to look like a giant bee! The maze itself invites exploration, is wheelchair accessible, and combines honeycomb bespoke panelling with elements such as a Throne for the Queen Bee, inviting explorers to take a selfie and share on social media. Interactive elements include:
The incorporation of a xylophone for children to play with. This represents the sound of bees buzzing, which is caused by their wings' rapid movement!
A large illustration of a female bee, visitors and small explorers are able to push a button in the crown and a scent will be released. This conveys the idea that the queen bee releases a scent which calms, stabilizes and controls the swarm. They also control foraging, cleaning, feeding the brood and all other activities in the hive.
We have included several panels that educate and talk about the 3 types of bees: worker, Queen and drone bees. Here you can use the mirror to put your head on their body!
We have built freestanding head cutouts of 2 bees for children to interact with!
There are lots of information boards that feature various facts about bees. Visitors can guess the number behind the beehive tile for each fact, which is revealed by lifting the flap.
There is also a touch and feel aspect on one of the bees, conveying how bees have fuzzy legs for collecting the pollen.
The “Honeybee Maze” will be open throughout the summer holidays and it is a free activity for all ages to enjoy together. We have ensured that we promote the sustainable values of our client and we communicate the need to care for bees and their habitats. Some assets will be repurposed for future activations.
