By Nora Peachin, Special Writer
The hexagonal wooden structures around the Arts Council of Princeton and in other areas of the town are meant to invoke more than art appreciation.
This fall, the Arts Council opened "The B Home Exhibit," which continues through May 4. The exhibit is a collection of "out-of-the-box spaces made from reclaimed materials."
Artists Peter Abrams and Graham Apgar worked together to design and build the structures such as "The Chess Shack," an airy living space, with a table and two benches, and "The Hexeebo," a mash-up of a hexagon and a gazebo.
"The B Home is an architectural concept that uses the geometry of hexagons to create human-inhabitable spaces," Mr. Abrams explained.
The structures are meant to assist the homeless and displaced, with low-cost, sustainable housing. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there were 578,424 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States as of January 2014.
However, The B Home project is not only functional, it is also art. The Arts Council describes the living spaces as sculptures, and calls the exhibit a "living arts installation based on sustainable building practices."
"From an artist’s perspective, we seek to re-examine our notion of shelter and discover a more basic, inexpensive way to provide a safe, warm, comfortable space for a person to call home," Abrams said.
The shelters are made of reclaimed materials to make them more affordable and are built from shipping pallets and other post-industrial and natural materials such as steel pipes, recycled tires and bamboo. These materials are sturdy enough to survive the harshest of weather conditions.
The durability of the B Homes will be put to the test this winter as they have been stationed outdoors around the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts as well at Witherspoon Hall and on Monument Drive.
The name of the project has triple meaning. "B" stands for "a plan B, an alternative home, a fall-back plan," according to artists.
The name also means "Be Home," as in a home is "simply a place to be… to rest, store modest belongings, and feel safe," the artists said.
And finally, it can be construed as "Bee Home," as the sculptures were inspired by the hexagonal shapes of the honeycomb of a beehive. The units can actually form an interconnected structure when put together.
"We were inspired by the efficiency of this naturally occurring design, called a hexagonal lattice, which encloses the most amount of usable space using the least amount of material," Mr. Abrams said. "The structural integrity of honeycomb comes from its interconnectedness, just like the social community of a hive."
Perhaps The B (or Be or Bee) Home housing style will inspire not only sustainable living, but also community. For now, the spaces will continue to be "playful, whimsical and fun backyard escapes," as described by the Arts Council website, as well as functional homes for those in need.
