The Belgian garden at the Floriade Expo from 14 April to 9 October 2022 is taking shape. The Flemish horticultural sector is also looking forward to the exhibit. Flanders’ Agricultural Marketing Board put landscape architect Nicolas Godelet in touch with numerous leading companies.
Belgium, its Regions and Communities have chosen a triangular piece of land of about 500 m2 on the waterfront to promote the country's horticultural characteristics and green innovations. The garden and the pavilion designed by Nicolas Godelet Architects & Engineers will house Belgian solutions for "Growing Green Cities", the theme of the exhibition.
Designed by Nicolas Godelet Architects & Engineers
BelExpo, or the Belgian Commission General for International Exhibitions, launched a competition for architects and landscape designers to design the garden that would represent Belgium for six months. It was won by the company Nicolas Godelet Architects & Engineers from Yvoir. Their "regenerative garden" convinced a jury that was focusing on criteria such as aesthetics and sustainability.
Nicolas Godelet's team had already designed the Belgian Garden for the last international horticultural exhibition in Beijing in 2019. They recently designed the "Big Air", the famous infrastructure for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
Playful and inspiring
For the Floriade, the firm designed a project that is at once architectural, geometric (look for the countless references to the triangle) and natural, reflecting Belgian gardens. It is a playful space, a place of relaxation where families can take the time to try out wooden games. The Belgia garden also offers an inspiring trail, for example the edible plant path.
Visitors will furthermore discover the strengths of the horticultural sector in the expo zone of the Belgian pavilion.
A regenerative garden
In an half-open modern pavilion in the centre of the garden where 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.
The pavilion's architecture is designed to minimise its environmental impact. Each material chosen is fully reusable or degradable, low-carbon, regenerable and natural: earth, wood, hemp, naturally compostable bioplastic, all these materials will be reused or recycled at the end of the exhibition.
The Floriade will welcome 2 million visitors to Almere (near Amsterdam) from 14 April to 9 October 2022.
For more information or an interview:
Aldwin Dekkers
General Commissioner - BelExpo
+32 (0)2 277 66 21
floriade2022@economie.fgov.be
www.belexpo.be/floriade
Images:
Images of the Belgian garden
To be used with the copyright: ©NG-Lab