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Bee & Bee
Project Description​
Bee & Bee was created during a design studio where groups were challenged to “design or redesign a real-world object” with a focus on user experience, usability, and formal and aesthetic dimensions.
Team Members
Agathe Catechis, Peter De Smidt, Naomi Gaylor, Luka Gunter
Main Skills Used
Prototyping, Product Design, User Interviews, CAD Modeling & Rendering
Process
Our early brainstorming was heavily influenced by zine culture and the environmental activist practice of “seed bombing.” Both movements rely on grassroots education, accessibility, and community-supported ecological care, which aligned closely with the goals and visual direction we wanted for the project. After researching approachable ecological interventions for youth, we landed on the idea of bee hotels—a hands-on, low-barrier way for young people in Troy to support native pollinators while building a personal, tactile connection to the region’s ecology. Bee hotels also matched our aims for craft accessibility, making them ideal as a DIY construction activity for kids and families.​​​
Since we envisioned the project as a kit, we wanted to ensure users walked away not only with a functional bee hotel, but also with an understanding of bee–environment interdependence and the ability to recreate the kit themselves using everyday or recycled materials. Sustainability was foundational in every decision we made. We aimed to design packaging that wasn’t just compostable, but actively beneficial, incorporating seeded paper and minimizing the use of chemicals, tapes, or adhesives.​
Peter and I were primarily responsible for developing and testing the packaging and manufacturing process. Drawing from my CAD experience, I designed and fabricated both laser-cut and 3D-printed molds to determine which method would best create our recycled-paper pulp packaging. Through testing, we found that the 3D-printed molds produced walls that were too thick to dry efficiently, while the laser-cut mold allowed us to manipulate the material to the exact thickness we needed. This became our final manufacturing direction.
While Peter and I focused on structure and production, Luca and Agathe curated the kit’s educational content and selected the materials included. We distributed the final kits at local events and received enthusiastic feedback from high schoolers, families, and community volunteers. Many participants were surprised by how simple the construction process was, and one user even asked, “Have you thought about selling these at the farmer’s market?” We also tested the durability of the bee hotels themselves; when sealed with beeswax, they withstood Troy’s rainy climate—one prototype still stands on RPI’s campus today.​
Bee & Bee remains one of my favorite projects. Not only did I expand my CAD and rendering skills, but I was also able to contribute to a solution rooted in sustainability and community engagement. From recycled-paper packaging to beeswax-based construction, we maintained our eco-conscious standards across every design decision.
