Once every ten years, the Floriade Expo 2022 takes place for six months in the Netherlands. This year, the largest public event in the country is taking place in Almere, to the east of Amsterdam, with more than 400 participants from all over the world.
The theme of the international horticultural exhibition's edition this year is "Growing Green Cities". More than 40 countries will present their vision of an urban environment and their sustainable solutions and inventions from 14 April to 9 October 2022.
Some two million people are expected to visit the exposition. Once the Expo has finished, the Floriade site will be redeveloped into Hortus, namely a green and healthy urban district. Houses and other neighbourhood facilities will be located on the same site.
Belgium's contribution
Belexpo, the Belgian office for international exhibitions, has also set up a pavilion surrounded by a garden on a triangular piece of land of about 500m2 on the waterfront, which will showcase the country's expertise in sustainable building techniques. The total cost of the project was €475,000.
Belgium's pavilion. Credit: NG-Lab
The pavilion itself is made of sustainable materials, all fully reusable or biodegradable, such as bricks made of dried clay or wood. "In this way, it can be completely recycled after the exhibition, minimising the impact on the environment," a statement from the government read.
Within the building, the Brussels-Capital Region, the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region will present the innovative solutions of Belgium for the horticulture and agriculture of the future, as well as how to ensure smarter energy supplies.
The “regenerative garden” surrounding the eco-friendly building only grows plant species that are native to Belgium. A pathway of edible flowers has also been created.
The Belgian Buildings Agency acted as a technical advisor for the construction of the Belgian Pavilion, while the designs were created by architectural firm Nicolas Godelet Architects & Engineers, which also designed the Belgian Garden for the 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Expo.
"This is a unique opportunity to showcase our skills in the field of sustainability and to learn about new techniques that we can then apply ourselves," Mathieu Michel, Secretary of State for the Public Buildings Administration, said.
