Start pavilion arboriculture sector

Last April, a shower of droplets at the base of the ' tree of life' signalled the symbolic start of construction work on the pavilion for the arboriculture sector.

The Dutch arboriculture sector is one of the first participants to actually start constructing its exhibit. According to Jan van Leeuwen, vice-chairman of theRaad voor de Boomkwekerij (a cooperative venture between the Nederlandse Bond van Boomkwekers and Anthos), the Floriade has enormous significance for the sector. ”The future is green. Trees and plants have the future, and so do producers of plants and trees. That's why we want to demonstrate the important role of our sector in the future at Floriade. In our pavilion, visitors can literally experience the landscape of arboriculture in the future.”

Sven Stimac, Projects Director at Floriade 2012: “This is a decisive moment for Floriade. The arboriculture sector is the first sector to actually start planting and constructing an exhibit in the park. At the same time this is also the tallest tree that has been planted in the park until now: a wonderful landmark.”

Yggdrasil
Communication advice bureau Imagro and engineers ARCADIS are responsible for the concept and realisation of the Floriade exhibit for the arboricultural sector. Van Leeuwen: “It's a fantastic idea. Yggdrasil, the immense world tree central in Norse mythology has been chosen as the symbol. “Yggdrasil is the axle around which the world revolves”, says Mike Otten, art director at Imagro, and one of the creative brains behind the concept. “The tree which supports the entire world and around which it revolves. Trees and plants are vital for us and for the quality of life. But this fabulous greenery doesn't just appear as if by magic. And certainly not in a world that is becoming increasingly urbanised. The arboriculture sector pays a huge contribution to the quality of life. A contribution that we will visualise with this exhibit at Floriade. The arboriculture sector represents ‘the trunk’, through which the life force flows.

Growth rings
At a later stage, a pattern of growth rings around the axle will show the knowledge and expertise the arboricultural sector possesses, says Van Leeuwen. “Visitors will be amazed and astounded by a sector that they maybe know too little about. Not just by the vision of the sector, but also by our skills and our innovative power.” The pavilion is situated in the Education & Innovation themed zone. This themed zone at the Floriade is all about education, innovation and knowledge transfer.

Gilded watering can
The tree of life had already been planted, but last Monday it was symbolically brought to life on the Floriade site. In front of a group of specially invited guests, Sven Stimac, Project Director at Floriade, Henk Westerhof (chairman Raad voor de Boomkwekerij) and Jan van Leeuwen sprinkled the base of the tree with water from a gilded watering can. This symbolic action paved the way for theRaad voor de Boomkwekerij 's experience pavilion.