Floriade Expo 2022 will be opening to the public in less than 30 days, with the goal of welcoming 2 million visitors over six months and inspiring them with events exploring the green city of the future. Alongside pavilions from several different countries around the world, the host country will be showcasing its own vision for sustainable city living in the Natural Pavilion, within the Dutch Innovation Experience.
Floriade takes place from 14 April to 9 October 2022 in the city of Almere. Located in the province of Flevoland, the site is easily accessible from Amsterdam. Under the overall theme of Growing Green Cities, visitors will be able to enjoy a range of programming, from innovative international pavilions and Dutch horticulture showcases to sustainable food and drink, entertainment and more.
To find out more about the Natural Pavilion and its mission during Floriade Expo 2022, we spoke to Xander de Bruine, programme manager.
A background in events
As programme manager for Floriade Expo 2022, Xander de Bruine is responsible for project management, operational management and program development aimed at knowledge exchange between international professionals in the field of science, business, and government. His work includes developing and implementing research, education, co-creation, and conference programs that lead to knowledge exchange, solutions, agreements, and partnerships.
Speaking about his background, he says:
“My experience is in organising conferences and knowledge events in the international water management area. I’ve been working independently with a lot of different organisations and NGOs, helping to organise events, for example, the European River Symposium in Vienna. I was also programme manager for the Amsterdam International Water Week.
“Originally, my background is in exhibitions. I organised trade exhibitions on water technology worldwide. Then I started to be independent and work with organisations on topics like Integrated Water Resource Management and River Basin Management.”
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Knowledge exchange at Floriade
He was also involved with Floriade 2012 in Limburg, again working in the field of knowledge exchange:
“I was responsible for organising international exchange. Alongside the pavilions, where countries could showcase the latest innovations and technologies, we organised an international dialogue where people could contribute to discussions around new trends and innovations, on topics that were relevant worldwide.
“For example, resource depletion was, and is, a key topic. So, this was a chance to discuss what kinds of solutions were offered in other parts of the world. We saw many different cultural aspects coming together and sometimes this resulted in interesting new solutions. After the event, we made a report titled: ‘Our Planet is a Plant’. This was published in 2012 and is still an interesting read.”
“For Floriade Expo 2022, we are working on that same principle, but we have extended the programme much more.
“For instance, we now have an online education platform (nectar.exchange), where we are organising these dialogues and providing Floriade Expo participants with ways to contribute cases and co-host events. Multiple programme managers are working on it, exchanging knowledge with countries through online interactions and spin-off meetings
“This year, we are also working to give more impact locally. In Almere and the Province of Flevoland, we are working to capture knowledge. For instance, we are putting in place co-creation workshops for local entrepreneurs and looking for potential coalitions between sectors.
“Essentially, my role is in knowledge exchange, working with partners in the sustainability area.”
The Dutch Innovation Experience
The Dutch Innovation Experience is one of the Netherlands’ national pavilions for Floriade Expo 2022.
“The goal of the Dutch Innovation Experience is to contribute to the main theme of the Expo, Growing Green Cities, as well as to explore themes of innovation, nature, inclusivity, resiliency, and connection. We want to showcase urban contributions to climate adaptation, biodiversity, and food security, and we want it to present nature-based solutions. In addition, we wanted people to be able to learn something from the “making of” before the event even opened.”
“There are a few levels to what we are doing here. Firstly, we are looking at bio-based products, or nature inclusive products. So, there is an emphasis on residual products – taking products from the horticultural and agricultural sectors and then exploring their use in new innovations.
“For instance, we grow pepper plants for food. But then the residual elements of these pepper plants can also be used to produce light materials for aeroplane manufacturing.
“Secondly, we are looking at bio-based building or nature-inclusive building. Then, we are also looking at the topic of creating green urban areas. For example, we highlight the topic of rewilding cities. We look at how these green urban areas and parks and cities are part of a bigger regional development and a movement towards being more nature inclusive.”
Connecting people and ideas
In the end, says de Bruine, the ultimate objective of the Dutch Innovation Experience is to inform and to connect.
“We wanted to make it a real knowledge lab. This supports the regional task to become a knowledge hub on these specific topics. We wanted also to improve the international positioning of nature-based solutions and bio-based innovations.”
“Another aim was to connect different sectors. While this is an international horticultural exhibition, it also gives attendees and participants the opportunity to connect to other worlds, like energy, or the creative industry, or life sciences and health. With that, Floriade becomes more of a platform.
“Finally, with the Dutch Innovation Experience, we also wanted to facilitate the upscaling of innovation. We wanted to connect the innovators and the executors with the people that have the power to make things happen.”
See also: Floriade Expo 2022: introducing the greenest day out
Counting down to Floriade
Reflecting on the original goals and the progress so far, with less than a month to go, de Bruine says he is pleased with what has been achieved. He is now looking forward to welcoming visitors to the Dutch Innovation Experience.
“With the original plan, there were many different aspects we wanted to include. For example, we wanted to have an outdoor exhibition, we wanted to have a parametric designed building or pavilion that makes an architectural statement, and inside that building, we wanted to have a beautiful art exhibition with an outdoor exhibit plot that will communicate clearly about these themes. And now, it’s all there.”
“It is less than 30 days before the opening and we have now have a beautiful outside exhibition, alongside a building that has over 100 bio-based materials.
“Then on the second plot, we have this beautiful natural pavilion with 26 art objects and a digital studio called the Green Innovation Hub. This is where we are going to test many aspects of digitalization within the theme of Growing Green Cities.
“We have created something beyond my expectations, and I can’t wait to exhibit it to a broader public.”
Sustainable construction at the Dutch Innovation Experience
As well as exploring the concept of sustainable future cities through its content, the Natural Pavilion also looks at the topic through its very construction. The pavilion consists of 95% bio-based materials, most of which originate from the Netherlands. After the event closes, the pavilion will also be given a second life.
“With the procurement process, we asked the design and build contestants to think about circularity, and to think about circularity from a business case perspective. Making the building itself more sustainable is an interesting aspect. Instead of looking at the building as something that will be there for the rest of its lifecycle, we look at it as a construction of materials that can then be reused in the coming years.
“It will be used as it is for the next three years, as part of the campus development here. So, it will be part of the research and educational institutes that surround it. After three years, it will be moved, either as a whole construction or the parts will be reused elsewhere.
“What I really like about it is the materialisation. We worked with materials that come out of the agricultural or horticultural sector.”
Building green
Talking about some of his personal highlights, de Bruine says:
“My favourite innovation is in the construction itself. The steel connecting points of the frame are created by robots. They make the construction of the building in such a way that you can really rise high with this open wood structure.
“Normally, you will have a cross-laminated timber construction, where you need to put a lot of wood together. But this is an open wood system with steel connections. It almost looks like how you create furniture that you buy from IKEA, but it’s your house! It’s constructed in factories and then it’s distributed in a completely different way. This means that you could bring it to a plot and construct it in less than three weeks.
“The digitization element is also really interesting. The computer is part of both the production and the distribution of the building. Plus, we tested different foundation technologies. Because the buildings are becoming lighter, we can now test lighter and more sustainable foundation materials as well.”
Growing Green Cities
The Natural Pavilion sits firmly within Floriade Expo 2020’s theme of Growing Green Cities. It delves into the future of housing construction, with sustainability and circularity as the key elements. Speaking about why this theme is so important today, de Bruine says:
“When you develop nature inclusive, there are so many advantages that you didn’t even think about at the start. For example, we talk about sick buildings. One of our sub-themes is healthying in the city. When you build with natural materials, people who live in those houses will be happier and healthier.”
“One of the innovations in the creation of the building is that we have ensured a natural flow of air. There’s no air conditioning technology. It has all been designed using nature and technologies that are used in advanced circular high-tech greenhouses.
“There are so many multiple advantages in using nature-based solutions when we look at the theme of Growing Green Cities. That’s what I love about this theme. It results in better places to live. City living can so often lead to this disconnection with nature, yet there are so many simple solutions.”
The Dutch Innovation Experience and the goals of Floriade Expo 2022.
On the benefits of Floriade Expo 2022, he adds:
“What I like about Floriade as a platform is that it connects different worlds. It connects different people, who can make these innovations a reality together. That is what we want to facilitate with the Dutch Innovation Experience.”
“Yes, there is the public side, and we want our public visitors to gain inspiration from what’s out there. The 26 art objects in the building function in a philosophical way. They will get people in the mood of these themes and interest them in topics like feeding the future and greening the future.
“But when we add the work that we are doing in getting people together from business communities that are actually working on these issues, it makes it even more inspiring.”
Making a real difference
As the opening draws closer, Xander de Bruine finishes by reflecting on the long-term impacts of the event:
“I am looking forward to what comes out of these encounters between different sectors. I do expect quite a lot of it, and I really am looking forward to, for example, exploring the possibilities of data and digitization in growing green cities.
“For instance, I just came out of a meeting with a group that is working on the Green Innovation Hub. This will generate a lot of events and opportunities for people to meet each other. They can connect and share ideas and in the end, develop applications for nature inclusive design.
“The next six months will be the fun time. This is when we see everything that we have worked for coming to life and having a real impact.”
In addition, looking to the future, he says:
“I am sure that the programming will not stop after Floriade. We are already connecting different sectors and they’re already planning ahead.
“Floriade Expo 2022 will be part of a bigger movement. It’s related to a lot of relevant things in the Netherlands right now. For instance, we need at least 1 million new houses in the upcoming 10 years. So, it’s really important what’s going to happen here. We’ve been working hard. And when the doors open, we are going to welcome 2 million visitors for a mind-blowing event.”
