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I was wondering what shaped homes and buildings would an insect like creature that can walk upside down and fly make?

This question about a birds house brings up some good points like needing a large open space to fly inside Planet of the Aves: New Nests

For this species the larvae stage can chew up and spit back out material to form structures, the species has evolved into being quite intelligent so building shapes that would require structural support is possible, theoretically they can make quite extravagant buildings if they wish and some do.

The larval stage prepares for its later butterfly like stage of life by building a home for which it will live and truly be able to enjoy later, almost like preparing for retirement but instead it will be the stage where they can enjoy life more as they can fly and see the world and find a mate.

I almost want some of their buildings to be very beautiful in their design but in a way that is very different from humans, like looping tunnels within the house that they can fly through to enter different rooms but I am not sure if this is a practical idea, also in the butterfly like stage they can walk upside down, so rooms can be suspended from the ceiling but due to gravity they still couldn't do as much upside down as on a floor such as eating or any hobbies.

So my question is what would be the most practical shaped homes and buildings for an intelligent insect species that can fly and walk upside down? and I also don't mind some visually pleasing ideas that may be less practical but would just look cool and still make some sense.

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    $\begingroup$ You ask: "what would be the most practical shaped homes and buildings for an intelligent insect species that can fly and walk upside down?" - There are so many species like this already in existence that form different structures, some big when the species is eusocial, some small when solitary. I can find nothing in the question which would lead to anything other than an opinion based answer. A good start might be to tell us how they live (colonies in mated pairs with their young as a part of each family, solitary etc.). Defining what you mean by intelligence, do they have enemies? etc.. $\endgroup$ – Draft 85 Jan 2 '20 at 20:30
  • $\begingroup$ @Bitterdreggs. honestly the question is more like if a human could fly and walk up walls, stand upside down what would we build, some humans live alone, have large familys, big city appartments, or a single house in the wilderness, but our houses and rooms are essentialy the same because of how we move, I gave all the other details just to paint a better picture but essentially the question is about the design of something that can walk up surfaces and fly $\endgroup$ – user69935 Jan 2 '20 at 20:39
  • $\begingroup$ The answer would still be anything between an igloo for a whole family, a palace for a family plus servants or a teepee if migratory tribes are the way. When cooking gravity still works the same, so pots and pans will be the same, indoor lavatory/showers/baths the same (if they have them). Beds would be the same (again - if they have them - or do they sleep like bats?). Seriously, we need much more info to give you other than an opinion based answer .At present we don't know if they even have a concept of privacy, or a slave-class, or like open skies. $\endgroup$ – Draft 85 Jan 2 '20 at 20:52
  • $\begingroup$ i see now how it causes confusion as i should have asked, if humans, living in times of peace but still have the need for privacy and security, that could walk up any angled surface and fly, what houses would we make? $\endgroup$ – user69935 Jan 2 '20 at 21:08
  • $\begingroup$ As you point out, gravity makes it unrealistic to "do" anything while on the ceiling, other than perhaps to threaten to fall straight down onto your spouse. Maybe you could be like bats and hang upside down to sleep, thus removing the need for beds in the bedrooms. $\endgroup$ – Carl Witthoft Jan 3 '20 at 15:00
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Your flying insect-like creature sounds like a bee or wasp. Honeybees chew wax secretions from their bodies to attach the wax flakes to the comb, gradually building a hexagonal lattice comb. Wasps do a similar thing with wood fibers and their own saliva. This would suggest that bee-nest-like structures would be a likely design.

This makes sense somewhat as hexagons are efficient in terms of strength and also partitioning space. A species that produces its homes by chewing and spitting would want to do so in an efficient manner, and has great freedom to do so by "3D printing" it through this chewing-spitting method. I would suggest looking at pictures of bee and wasp nests for inspiration.

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I highly doubt that intelligent species will spend effort to make their homes by chewing up and spitting. They may use some interesting uses for that talent, but home building is not one of them.

I think you can expect structures which look like a man-made hive, where you enter the ground floor hall and access higher levels, which serve as living rooms, by flying up. Kitchen will be situated at the top for better ventilation.

As a side note, foot access will become as neglected as disabled access currently. Depends on the wealth, either ignored completely (a lot of places inaccessible at all if you can't fly) or spent a lot of effort on and still not done right (stairs too high or too small, with no railings or going into a blank wall). This is because some fraction of intelligent insects will be unfit to fly eventually.

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  • $\begingroup$ i don't see why they wouldn't build a home when they have no other limbs to build as well, also they aren't as intelligent as humans just more intelligent than insects, good point on the old age, but i think if they cant walk (up any angled surface) or fly their basically gonna die. $\endgroup$ – user69935 Jan 2 '20 at 19:56
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    $\begingroup$ Bees make a home by chewing wax secretions to attach them to the main comb, wasps chew wood fibers with saliva to make a pulp, then spit it out to make the hive... $\endgroup$ – IronEagle Jan 2 '20 at 21:15
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    $\begingroup$ The same reasons why humans do not bite and spit out umbilical cords. We are perfectly capable of that and it is instinctively sound, it's just that we have knives, not to mention scalpels and scissors. I assume intelligent == sentient. $\endgroup$ – alamar Jan 7 '20 at 20:09