Netherlands pavilion's vertical farm unveils first produce at Expo 2020 Dubai

Mushrooms have begun sprouting at the country's on-site micro-farm

The Netherlands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will keep its carbon footprint small using reusable, recyclable and biodegradable material. Courtesy: Faisal Khatib

Solar cells will be placed in the skylight of the Dutch pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai to provide electricity. The skylight will allow sunlight to filter through the pavilion to help grow edible plants. Courtesy: Faisal Khatib

The Netherlands pavilion is designed as a biotope – a miniature world where the climate is controlled naturally showing visitors how water, energy and the food sectors are linked. Courtesy: Faisal Khatib

Inside the Netherlands pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai is a giant green cone covered in edible plants and irrigated with harvested water. Courtesy: V8 Architects

The Netherlands pavilion will harvest water, energy and food in a cone-shaped vertical farm. Courtesy: V8 Architects

The Netherlands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will harvest water, energy and food in a cone-shaped vertical farm. Courtesy: Faisal Khatib

The diagram shows how the Netherlands pavilion is designed as a biotope – a miniature world where the climate is controlled naturally showing visitors how water, energy and the food sectors are linked. Courtesy: V8 Architects

The design of the Netherlands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai that puts into practice the message of recycling and reusing materials. Courtesy: Expomobilia MCH

The Netherlands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will keep its carbon footprint small  using reusable, recyclable and biodegradable material. Courtesy: Expomobilia MCH

Architects and engineers have designed the Netherlands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai so visitors will see plants grown, water harvested and electricity generated in a harsh desert climate. Courtesy: Expomobilia MCH

Inside the Netherlands pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai is a giant green cone covered in edible plants and irrigated with harvested water. Courtesy: V8 Architects

Floor and wall panels in the lounge of the Netherlands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai are made from a bio-based substance that uses fungi to show how mushrooms can be repurposed as building material. The organisers aim to show how innovative solutions can tackle scarcity concerns. Courtesy: V8 Architects

The Netherlands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will keep its carbon footprint as small as possible using reusable, recyclable and biodegradable material. Courtesy: V8 Architects

A ‘rainmaker’ inside the Netherlands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will harvest water, irrigate the plants and keep the interior cool. Courtesy: V8 Architects

Solar cells will be placed in the skylight of the Dutch pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai to provide electricity. The skylight will allow sunlight to filter through the pavilion to help grow edible plants. Courtesy: Expomobilia MCH

Oyster mushrooms have begun sprouting inside a giant vertical farm at the Netherlands pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Its centrepiece of the structure is a green cone upon which more than 9,000 plants and herbs thrive.

The plan is to host a green zone that is more than a building, and display real, sustainable solutions in action.

Pavilion organisers have created a biotope, or a miniature world in which the climate is controlled naturally, to nurture plants.

“The oyster mushrooms are organically grown within the mushroom nursery at our pavilion and they will be seen inside the 18-metre massive green food cone,” Carel Richter, newly appointed Consul General of the Netherlands in UAE and commissioner general of the country’s pavilion, told The National.

“On the exterior of the cone, there are approximately 9,300 edible plants harvested using Dutch technologies. These plants include tomato, basil, mint and asparagus.”

When Expo opens on October 1, visitors will be able to enter the darkened interior of the green cone to see how the mushrooms are grown.

The fungi are an integral part of the circular system, emitting carbon dioxide that is absorbed by the plants on the cone’s exterior.

A spectacular stained glass solar cell skylight has also been installed.

The floor and wall panels in the lounge are made from mycelium, a biodegradable fungus-based substance, to show how mushrooms can be used to make building material.

An 44-metre curtain separates the business lounge area from the visitors’ section of the pavilion, enabling events to be hosted in privacy.

Its bioplastic textile fibre has been designed using products including corn, sugar cane and cassava, a root vegetable.

A solar-powered rain shower will capture moisture from the air and harvest hundreds of litres of water daily to irrigate the greenery.

Water in the “rainmaker” will be cooled with solar energy to reduce the temperature inside.

The Netherlands aims to depict in real terms how to address global challenges such as water scarcity, food security and the rising demand for energy.

“The visitor journey in our pavilion is directly linked to our theme ‘Uniting water, energy and food’,” Mr Richter said.

“Guests will be diving into a miniature world where they will be joining the conversation about how we can connect minds to secure water, energy and food.”

The pavilion was built largely using local resources. Regionally produced steel was used in the construction to reduce the carbon footprint.

Mr Richter said each segment of the pavilion carried a thought-provoking message about conserving scarce natural resources.

“Our team has been working hard immensely to bring this project into a reality,” he said.

“They are all very excited and looking forward to this mega once-in-a-lifetime event.”

Expo 2020 Dubai opens on October 1 and will run for six months.