Lyne Revaz, what’s the topic of your final thesis?
Bee products have always been used for therapeutic purposes. Beehive inhalation therapy reduces respiratory disorders thanks to the healing properties of the wax and the propolis. By recreating and optimizing the hive’s functioning, Hhabee provides access to this natural treatment all year-round at hospitals, spas, or at an individual’s home. The refills of this device are made with reclaimed wax and propolis obtained from the beekeeping process.

Why this topic specifically?
Environmental and cultural matters are topics dear to my heart. In the research for my MA thesis, I also identified a need for user experience and aesthetics in the medical field.

How can you and your work contribute to the future of our society in terms of the current environmental, political, and/or economic challenges we face today? How do you judge your scope of action in this respect?
For several years already we have been noticing the impacts of today’s globalized world. The economic system’s repercussions, among which we can count the loss of agricultural biodiversity, generate ecological damages and lead to the decimation of traditions across the world.

Bees are one of the victims of globalization. Under the pressure of producing ever more and faster, farmers in many countries use pesticides that are killing the bees. However, a third of the world food supply relies on bees, and without their pollination there would be no plant pollination, reproduction, and, of course, agriculture would not exist. This situation is already unfolding in China where men and women have to pollinate flowers by hand to obtain crops.

Most of the beekeepers are impelled to increase their production in spite of the decline of the quality of bees. In Switzerland we can count around 19,000 beekeepers who attended a training based on ethics and respect for the bees’ life. Small producers in Switzerland have difficulties surviving owing to the environmental impact on the bees and also due to the lack of efficient commercial chains. As a matter of fact, beehive products such as wax and propolis could have even more commercial outlets.

Hhabee – Hive’s air inhaler is a new solution that increases the added value of the beehive products with the aim of promoting beekeeping as well as awareness concerning the bees.

Where do you think your professional journey will take you after completing your studies?
After I graduated from the FHNW Academy of Art Design with an MA in Industrial Design, I looked for opportunities to continue my journey in what I believe. I set out to develop Hhabee further by first realizing a wooden model for the purpose of commercialization. I’m now in the process of selecting Swiss suppliers and local manufacturers. 
In the meantime, I am starting my design career in the watch industry at the prestigious Swiss watchmaker and material innovator HUBLOT.

Lyne Revaz on Instagram