Floriade 2022 - Growing Green Cities

In 2022, the Floriade - an international horticultural exhibition - will be held in Almere. The 2022 Floriade will not only be an internationally prestigious event; it will also lay the foundation for a new, green urban neighbourhood: Hortus. The Floriade site is situated between the A6 motorway and the Weerwater, across from the city centre of Almere.

The principal contractor for the project is the municipality of Almere. In 2012 it was announced that Almere had been awarded the Floriade; at the end of 2018, a development contract was signed with Amvest and Dura Vermeer Construction and Real estate; and at the start of 2019, construction of the site began.  The site is to be delivered in the fall of 2021 for installation of the event’s facilities. Following the exhibition, which will run for six months, construction of the neighbourhood will take place between 2022 and 2030.

Transition

Taking cost and sustainability into consideration, the decision was made to construct the site in such a way as to lay the foundation for the envisioned neighbourhood of Hortus. In this way, the infrastructure and buildings serve multiple ends. The future-proof urban district will be a sustainable and innovative residential area, initially comprising 660 residences. The transition from event site to neighbourhood is intended to be possible at the flick of a wrist. The essential characteristics which will enable this include multifunctional designs and innovative and circular building techniques.

Growing Green Cities

The project offers Witteveen+Bos an excellent opportunity to develop sustainable solutions. The topic of the 2022 Floriade is Growing Green Cities. In applying this concept, the project contributes to developing solutions for issues related to nutrition, green spaces, energy production and health. This means it is about more than just being green; it is about growing to become a green, healthy city with space for new and innovative ideas and opportunities for everyone. This is visible in the essential features stipulated for the area development design, including:

  • Climate-proof design
  • Maximisation of green spaces
  • Incorporation of reduced-traffic mobility plan (including car-sharing)
  • Minimisation of noise pollution
  • Optimisation of air quality
  • Minimisation of environmental impact and realisation of zero-energy neighbourhood
  • Promotion of circular use of materials
  • Promotion of healthy lifestyles

 

Scope of the operations

Witteveen+Bos is working on the development and realisation of the site plan for real estate developer Amvest and Dura Vermeer, who have adopted the name Weerwater C.V. for their collaboration. Witteveen+Bos has also taken the lead in realising the urban design plan, right up to the final step of furnishing the public spaces. We are providing the civil engineering, including bridges, preparation of the area for construction (with BIM/3D modelling), and cables and pipes. Studies regarding sound, soil quality, geotechnics and ecology will be conducted, and guidance for attaining the necessary permits will be provided. Witteveen+Bos will also offer project management support to the development partnership.

The project constitutes a challenge, in particular because of the high ambitions surrounding it and the relatively short period during which the plans need to be realised as an attainable and affordable area development. Infrastructure needs to be installed on time, the innovative ideas require time to be developed, and the plants need time to grow. Developments and opportunities in the surrounding area also need to be taken into consideration, including the expansion of the A6 alongside the site and the construction of both the Aeres University of Applied Sciences and Flevoland’s Innovation Pavilion.

Value-oriented approach

Witteveen+Bos is proud of its involvement in this distinctive project. We have adopted a value-oriented approach in order to optimise decision-making in an uncertain project context. This is done by introducing flexibility in project control, by working towards targets, and by working explicitly. For the 2022 Floriade, we are developing promising concepts that can also be applied elsewhere to assist the transition to sustainable and healthy living environments.

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Niels Monster

Team manager Civil Urbanism