The green thread through 2022!

2022-12-31

Last year was a special year for our agency. After 5 years of designing and preparation, the Floriade Expo 2022 in Almere was festively opened on April 13, 2022. Niek Roozen was part of the green team (together with Jaap Smit, Jacqueline van der Kloet and Gert Wassink), they were responsible for the Green City Arboretum, the preservation of existing greenery and various green designs. The theme “Growing Green Cities” was exhibited in many ways as far as we were concerned.

A week after this opening, we traveled with part of our team to Genoa. To plant a Dutch garden there, where we showed the valuable ‘green city’ knowledge in our own way with example plantings.

Over the past 20 years we have had the opportunity to gain a lot of work experience in China. So too this year, where we participated in challenging competitions and assignments. It is wonderful to see how the tasks are changing in China. Where nature used to be ‘scary’ in and around the city, we now see more and more forests, reed beds and natural areas in the urban environment.

But also large-scale green areas in urban planning, such as our green lobes and the green heart. Green spaces for water storage, natural areas and recreational opportunities are especially essential in high-city areas like Shanghai. In addition, cultural landscapes can take on new functions in climate adaptation and local food supply.

In addition to exhibitions, we were also allowed to creatively engage in Dutch projects. Such as a vision of the outlying area of the municipality of Harderwijk and Hierden, with the question; where the landscape can be strengthened and where can construction take place in the future, without losing the identity of the landscape. That identity is also important for other, more small-scale projects we worked on last year. The green area around the Roman Museum in Gemeente Heerlen shows the historical layers of the area. And more greenery will contribute to a climate-proof and pleasant living space for visitors. The research project ‘Effective greenery’ shows how in specific neighborhood types of greenery can be applied optimally for the sensation of temperature, without affecting the character of the neighborhood or street.

All in all, we worked on our projects this past year 2022 with a passion for green. To contribute to a greener and healthier world is what makes our profession so fun and interesting. Within our agency, with a relatively small team, we often collaborate with different disciplines to offer the most appropriate designs and improve our products.

So, we would like to thank everyone with whom we have worked during the year 2022 and look forward to the projects for next year!

Front page: design by Mintske Sijsma and wim wijsman commissioned by Tuinbranche Nederland