Concept Summary

With its theme "Growing Green Cities", Floriade Expo 2022 sought answers for a greener urban future. Humorous, multi-layered, and light-hearted, the German Garden presented "BIOTOPIA - Growing Community", an urban utopia promoting co-creativity, diversity, and exchange. BIOTOPIA was designed as a living ecosystem and a meeting space within a permanent process of genesis and growth. The pavilion structure and exhibition elements formed a symbiotic unit, creating an enjoyable high-quality overall experience. The architectural concept reflects a constantly growing and transforming city that makes a clear statement: nature has become a part of urban architecture, making it more attractive by improving the universal quality of life. The extensively gardened pavilion had a sustainable, open-plan structure built with wood and glass in a cubist design that sparked both curiosity and each visitor’s spirit of discovery. The two-story structure, which included an accessible roof garden, glazed exhibition area, and climbing plants, allowed interior and exterior spaces to merge, creating a dynamic urban scenario. Within the six months of its exhibit length, the German Garden welcomed over 685.000 visitors in the Dutch city Almere, amongst which 133 nationalities were recorded. The participation of more than 79.000 BIOTOPIA visitors successfully proved the Growing Community’s central narrative of making a sustainable change through combined strength and effort.