Office
“Work” and “exciting” don't have to be oppositional. At Brookfield Properties, the amenities we deliver are just as exceptional as the places we create.
Bees are a vital part of our ecosystem and urban communities. Providing a safe place to build their hives on our office property rooftops benefits not only the bees themselves, but also our communities.
Bees are critical to the ecosystem. We are happy to help promote their well-being in the city - plus, they are just cool little creatures.
Jackie Duke, Senior Vice President, Operations & Sustainability
Housing honey bees on the rooftops of our office properties just makes sense. It's a simple, sustainable way to contribute to an urban ecosystem, repurpose unused space, and produce local, artisanal honey in the process.
How? Bee colonies flourish in urban areas as they require an environment that fulfills three criteria: the absence of pesticides, an abundance of water and floral resources, and a temperate climate. And our office property rooftops are a ideal, safe place for our pollinators to call home.
Since 2015, our Urban Bee Project in Washington D.C. has maintained seven hives on the roofs of 799 9th Street and 1250 Connecticut Avenue. Following an initial partnership with Georgetown Honeybee, our Chief Engineer Michael Phillips has since been trained in beekeeping and tends to the hives.
At Suncor Energy Centre in Calgary, our rooftop collaboration with Honey Meadows apiary has been home to honey bees for three years. The two SEC hives are thriving and produced over 47 litres of honey in 2018. Recently, the honey was bottled in 125 milliliter jars and all 376 containers were sold – with proceeds going to the local Calgary Food Bank.
And in New York, our partnership with Alvéole has delivered 10 hives at Brookfield Place and 2 at Brooklyn Commons in Brooklyn, which contribute over 600,000 honey bees to the city's ecosytem. With an additional 24,000 eggs being laid each day, our friendly pollinators are just getting started - and so are we! Our program is rapidly expanding in markets across our portfolio.
Georgetown Honeybee added seven hives in DC, Alvéole helped with 12 hives in New York
Collaborated with Honey Meadows apiary to install rooftop hives in Calgary
Proceeds of any honey sales are donated to local charities