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Every ten
years the people of the Netherlands put on a show that is unrivaled
anywhere in the world. Known for tulips, Holland is a country that
spends an enormous amount of money and energy in the research of land
use, crop production, varieties of cultivars, and in fact, anything
dealing with agriculture and nature. The show is called Floriade
(floor-ee-odd) and is held in the Netherlands, once every ten years
during the year that ends in 2. Floriade 2002 was the fifth edition of
the show which has evolved into a world wide horticultural exposition.
No longer just a Dutch show, this Floriade had participation from 35
countries from all over the world. Succinctly put, if it’s a plant that
can grow on Earth, it is more than likely on display somewhere on the
grounds of the show.
The Site
Floriade 2002 was located near the City of
Haarlemmermeer, just west of Amsterdam. The site of the exposition has
always been at a different location since the inception of the event
some fifty years ago. The show was situated in a 65 hectare site,
(approximately 160 acres). This area was known as the drain of the Low
Countries It was billed as the lowest land in Holland. It has only been
150 years since this area was part of a shallow sea. As we all know,
the Dutch mastered the water and reclaimed the land by holding the North
Sea at bay. The site was chosen for several reasons. The land is
incredibly fertile but notoriously difficult to till because it is
primarily clay. The area is a crossroads of some major transportation
lines, including highways (Highway N 205 bisects the grounds), railways,
waterways, and the nearby Schipol airport. Finally the area was being
encroached upon by new developments including housing and industry.
Work on this Floriade site began in 1996. Three
main areas of the park were built and became known as “the Lake”, “the
Roof”, and “the Hill”. Designs within the park are the work not only of
Dutch designers, but designers, architects, and artists from throughout
the world. Buildings that housed food stands, some display areas, rest
areas, and concession areas were all temporary. They would see over
three million visitors during the six month run of the show and at the
completion of the exposition were removed. The art remains and the park
was turned over to the cities and villages in the area for use by all
people. This is the way Floriade works. The site for Floriade 2012
will be announced in 2006 and preparation will begin at that time for
the exposition eight years from now.
Getting There
We left our hotel and walked two blocks to the
nearest trolley line. Trolley lines run throughout the city of
Amsterdam and all of them converge on the Central Train Station. The
Dutch are masters of moving people efficiently and quickly by public
transportation. Our express train took us to Schipol Airport where we
transferred to the express bus for Floriade. The bus was articulated,
meaning it was hinged in the middle in order to negotiate tight corners
and had an automatic boarding ramp in its depressed center for wheel
chairs. As we cleared the airport property, we noticed we were the only
vehicle on a two lane road. The road was “for buses only”; no autos
allowed. Our train and bus trip lasted 45 minutes, and delivered us to
Floriade’s front door.
Aan het Meer (On the Lake)
Dominated by old Poplar trees, the area on the Lake
is one of gentle curves that reveal different scenes as one walks from
area to area. One large open area contained what seemed like endless
beds of annual and bulb flowers of all colors. As we walked through the
area, we realized that these beds spelled out the theme of Floriade;
namely “Feel the art of nature”
 
Throughout the multitude of flower beds, workers
carefully worked to “deadhead” the blooms that were spent. One of the
goals of this area was to give the visitor a chance to see what species
and colors work together, so visitors could rush home and go to the
nearest nursery to get the flowers viewed in these gardens.
The Lake itself was an old quarry. Many of the
plants that were there at the start of construction were just left with
the area getting a good clean up. The Lake area had pavilions from over
20 of the 35 participating countries.
Besides the bulb and planting areas around the Lake
, several other gardens were constructed featuring a Garden of
Reflection, a Romance garden, a dynamic garden, and a Rhythm of Daily
Life Garden.
From this area we decided to board the tram for a
ride to a different area of the park. While waiting, we chatted with
the young lady at the boarding gate. She was a senior in the local high
school working in the park for the duration of the event. She spoke
four languages fluently including English, French, and of course, Dutch.
Bij het Dak (Near the Roof)
The roof created a subtropical valley environment.
At a size of 28,000 square meters, the roof was clad in solar panels
that provided electricity for lighting and heat for the entire
exposition. Thus power is provided to all of the greenhouses, kiosks,
and restaurants at the site. In addition, for the first time at
Floriade, sensitive species from the Mediterranean could be seen on
display. It was here that we saw orchids, succulents, pine, and
numerous other conifers. Also near the Roof, new greenhouse
technologies are not only displayed, but actually working for the
duration of Floriade. At the conclusion of the show, the electric
output of the roof was added to the power grid of Haarlemmermeer area
providing enough electricity for some 400 homes.
Naast de Berg (By the Hill)
 
While the entire park was indeed spectacular,
unquestionably one of the most spectacular areas was “By the Hill”. The
last place one would expect to find a pyramid is in Holland. The Hill’s
design is based on the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. The Big Spotter’s
Hill can be seen from almost every part of the park and in the grand
design of the Park is the focal point. The hill was constructed with a
concrete base containing a vault that houses records from the event.
The base keeps the hill from sinking into the surrounding clay.
Truckloads of sand were brought in and the hill was built up a layer at
a time. Atop the hill was a magnificent piece of art by Auke de Vries
who is known for giant sculptures. To get to the top of the hill, we
rode people carriers that were essentially automatic golf carts. They
followed a buried sensor wire, and stopped automatically at
predetermined spots for boarding and unloading. To say the view from
the top was spectacular just doesn’t do it justice. From this vantage
point, the land was flat in all directions as far as the eye could see.
We could also see the display hedges we had passed earlier that spelled
out “Floriade”. We could see the gentle curves designed into the park.
We could see the geometric patterns formed by the water features built
as the park evolved during its construction.
Indeed, we could “feel the art of nature”.
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The Global Forum |
An essay by
John
Phillips
SCC Computer Science
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