Netherlands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai brings rain to the desert

Architects and artists from the Netherlands create a green ‘mountain’ and mushroom floors based on a sustainable approach

UAE entrepreneur Dima Al Srouri has taken over a mushroom nursery from the Netherlands pavilion and will continue the production of mushrooms and mycelium products in Dubai. Photo: Netherlands Pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai

The biotope at the Netherlands pavilion was a big attraction that showed how in a miniature world climate was controlled naturally and could nurture plants in the desert heat. Pawan Singh / The National

Dima Al Srouri, a UAE urban planner, stands in front of tiles made from mushroom mycelium at the Netherlands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Photo: Netherlands Pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai

Basil, mint and tomato are some of more than 3,000 plants growing on a massive cone inside the Netherlands pavilion. The plants will be returned to the local supplier and turned into compost. Pawan Singh / The National

The 2,000 tonnes of steel sheets used to construct the Netherlands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will be handed over for reuse in construction projects in the city. Pawan Singh / The National

The entrance of the Netherlands Expo 2020 Pavilion that used no concrete and instead made use of steel pipes and sheets to depict a circular economy. Pawan Singh / The National

Inside view of the Netherlands Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai site where architects built a biotope in which edible plants thrived - the material will be reused and recycled by companies across the city. Pawan Singh / The National

Carel Richter, consul general and commissioner general of the Netherlands pavilion (left), and Niels Bouwman, pavilion director hold innovation awards at the Expo pavilion in front of a cone covered with thousands of edible plants and herbs. Photo: Netherlands Pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai

Hundreds of litres of water was harvested daily from moisture in the air and drew crowds to watch it 'rain in the desert.' This system will shipped back to the Netherlands for use in new projects. Pawan Singh / The National

Michiel Raaphorst, co-founder of V8 Architects and Carel Richter, commissioner general, Netherlands Pavilion talk to the media at the Netherlands pavilion at the Expo 2020 site in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

The pavilion was built using local resources sourced in the UAE. Pawan Singh / The National

Steel pipes and tubes have been rented from Dubai’s construction industry and will be returned for use in new projects. Pawan Singh / The National

Oyster mushrooms are organically grown within the nursery inside the pavilion. Photo: Netherlands Pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai

Oyster mushrooms thrive in humid, cool and dark conditions inside the pavilion. Photo: Netherlands Pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai

View of the mushrooms grown inside the biotope at the Netherlands pavilion at the Expo 2020 site in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

View of the mushrooms grown inside the biotope at the Netherlands pavilion at the Expo 2020 site in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Media personnel at a preview of the Netherlands Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Souvenir shop at the Netherlands Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai site. Pawan Singh / The National

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Solar-powered rain showers, a mountain covered with herbs, flooring made from fungi and curtains produced from corn – these are some of the marvels that await visitors at the Netherlands pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai.

As visitors travel through the pavilion, the sounds of a busy street in the Netherlands will ring out overhead.

On Tuesday, the country was among the first to open up its pavilion, which is in Expo's Sustainability district.

Growth in the desert

Michiel Raaphorst, founder and director at V8 Architects, said artists and designers worked together on this project to create solutions.

“This building is our message. It is proof we can harvest, grow food and make it rain in the desert,” he said.

“It shows how inspiration and solutions can come from outside your discipline. Imagine, the floor we are on is made from mushroom. And these ideas have come from artists and innovators who have integrated their solutions into the building.

“Relating and learning from all disciplines is what Expo is about.”

The pale-coloured floor tiles and wall panels in the pavilion's lounge are made from mycelium, a biodegradable fungus-based substance used in building material.

A pleated brown curtain separates the lounge on the upper level from the visitors' section of the pavilion.

Imagine, the floor we are on is made from mushroom. And these ideas have come from artists and innovators who have integrated their solutions into the building

Michiel Raaphorst,
V8 Architects

The biodegradable curtain was produced using corn, sugar cane and cassava, a root vegetable.

The centrepiece of the pavilion is a towering 18-metre vertical farm covered with edible plants such as basil, mint and fennel.

“I’m really happy to see an idea we had more than three years ago now in the design of this building, both physically and mentally,” Mr Raaphorst said.

Re-purposing existing material

Architects and organisers said their building was proof that a circular economy was possible when using recycled material, leaving a lighter carbon footprint.

Steel sheet piles, pipes and tubes have been rented from Dubai’s construction industry and will be returned once the Expo ends in March next year.

Gravel and stones make up the flooring instead of concrete, so that it can be easily repurposed.

A 44-metre bioplastic curtain separates the business lounge area from the visitors’ section of the Dutch pavilion. It was made using products including corn. Photo: Pawan Singh / The National.

“We have used desert stones, rocks and gravel for temporary streets. These are used on building sites,” Mr Raaphorst said.

“Our legacy is that we will put it all back into the ground. There are more than 3,000 plants on the cone and we have selected them based on local conditions.”

Water pulled from the air

When visitors descend four meters to the bottom of the pavilion, the temperature drops noticeably and guests are handed umbrellas in a darkened space.

The white umbrellas turn into projection screens, illuminated with how the sustainable structure was created.

A burst of water falls from the top of the pavilion in a real-life illustration of how 800 litres can be generated every day out of desert air. These images of water being harvested will be released when the Expo opens next week.

Solar cells and panels in the skylight and roof provide electricity to power the process of capturing moisture from the atmosphere.

On the upper walls of the dimly lit cone interior, oyster mushrooms grow and thrive in the humid, cool and dark conditions.

Carel Richter, consul general of the Netherlands and commissioner general of the Expo, said his country was keen to work with the UAE and the region to boost food security.

Oyster mushrooms are organically grown within the nursery inside the pavilion. Photo: Netherlands Pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai

“These are exciting elements,” he said.

“We have got a lot of out-of-the-box thinkers involved. We would love to work with the UAE and the region, with the cost of logistics going up and with food more scarce.

“It’s about sharing knowledge, pinpointing what the challenges are and having the dream and vision to work on it.”

“New companies and artists have been part of this journey. What we see now is how buildings can be designed.

“This can only happen because so many people believed and wanted to be part of this story.”

The six-month event opens on October 1.

Expo 2020 was postponed by a year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hundreds of countries and companies have built pavilions in three themed areas called Sustainability, Mobility and Opportunity. These are located in Expo's Dubai South site.