[Source: BIE] Floriade Expo 2022 Amsterdam-Almere has closed its gates, after a lively final weekend marked by concerts, cultural shows and thematic events. Dozens of countries participated in the Horticultural Expo, which for six months showcased ideas solutions and innovations relating to the theme “Growing Green Cities”.
Floriade Expo 2022 – the seventh Horticultural Expo to be hosted by the Netherlands – took place on a 60-hectare site situated on the south side of the Weerwater in the new city of Almere in the province of Flevoland. Organised around an arboretum, a living catalogue of trees, plants and flowers arranged alphabetically, the site featured an array of remarkable structures and landscapes, including a 10,000m2 greenhouse complex, a bio-based bridge, the M. contemporary art installation, and the fully circular Natural Pavilion.
Floriade Expo 2022 brought together countries from around the world, with the participation ranging from Qatar’s ‘Desert Nest’ with 3D-printed dovecots and Belgium’s regenerative garden, to Suriname’s miniature jungle and Japan’s Satoyama landcape inspired pavilion. Alongside National Day celebrations and associated cultural events, the Expo was also host to a wide range of thematic seminars including the Floriade Dialogues, as well as educational programmes and industry events relating to horticulture, agriculture, and sustainable development.
The Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, indicated: “Addressing the need for cities and towns to be more sustainable and more in touch with nature, Floriade Expo 2022 Amsterdam-Almere has sparked debate and inspired new thinking in how to conceive healthier and environmentally conscious neighbourhoods. The green solutions presented at this Horticultural Expo are a vivid demonstration of the sustainable future that is possible when innovative thinking is put into practice”.
The CEO of the Floriade Expo 2022, Hans Bakker, stated: “Floriade Expo 2022 was characterised by its huge wealth of flowers and plants, but was also all about other ways of appreciating ‘green’, such as the actual ecosystems of trees and plants. Most important of the Expo was the expansion of the consciousness of very many people on the importance of a healthy living and working environment in cities for the future and this is what happened.”
Floriade Expo 2022 now enters its legacy phase, in which the site is set to become a sustainable urban district, ‘Hortus’, shaped by the greenery and values of the Expo. The site’s infrastructure and permanent buildings – including the Flores tower and the ‘green lung’ of the Aeres University buildings – mean the area will rapidly be transformed into a new neighbourhood of Almere.
Horticultural Expos have been recognised by the BIE since 1960 and are aimed at fostering cooperation and the sharing of knowledge and solutions between countries, horticultural producers and agricultural industry by addressing the paramount issues of healthy lifestyles, green economies, sustainable living, education and innovation. The Netherlands hosted the first Horticultural Expo organised under BIE auspices – Floriade Expo 1960 Rotterdam – and has organised subsequent editions, known as ‘Floriade’, in each decade since.
The next Horticultural Expo is being held in Doha, Qatar, under the theme “Green Desert, Better Environment”, between 2 October 2023 and 31 March 2024.
