How did EXPO Antalya 2016 Express its Theme of Flowers & Children?

Article by Irmak Bilir – Expo Antalya 2016 by Artı Architecture Engineering Consulting, in Antalya, Turkey. It’s sure thing that a botanic expo must give a significant point to flowers, and at the same time, if an exposition’s philosophy is “A Green Life for Future Generations”, it is a must to include “Children” in its theme. Botanic EXPO Antalya 2016, which is designed by Artı Architecture Engineering Consulting, bears the theme “Flowers and Children” with its slogan, Cultivating the Future.

The sub-themes of the exposition are history, biodiversity, sustainability and green cities. Antalya is located on the south side of Turkey and it is a coastal city on the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations and a beautiful city with its Mediterranean climate, agricultural significance, flora, endemic species, history, and culture. Let’s have a look at how EXPO Antalya expresses its theme.

Expo Antalya 2016

EXPO Antalya’s opening ceremony was held on the 23rd of April 2016, on the National Sovereignty and Children’s Holiday which was dedicated to all the world’s children by Atatürk, the founder and greatest leader of the Turkish Republic, in 1923. It was a nice beginning for a “Flowers and Children”-themed exposition. A big manmade lake lies down in the exposition area and there is an island and a semicirclular structure which is called “Children Island”.

Entrance to the area is provided with 4 different bridges. From morning to late hours, there were various entertaining and creative activities, ateliers, workshops, a Plant Labyrinth, music, and food for children. Most of the official and non-official countries’ and participants’ gardens had some special activities or playgrounds for children. For example, Germany’s garden was a very educational place about the potential for innovation in renewable resources, herbs and extracts, horticulture, and building with renewable raw materials for not only adults but also they had lots of materials, books, etc, for telling this concept to children. In the various amphitheaters and squares, there were activities, concerts, and theater shows. In addition, there is an area designed specifically for kids. The Kids’ Science & Technology Center was built to showcase the entertaining aspects of science and can be enjoyed by children of all ages. There is also an enormous playground surrounded by palm trees and other lush vegetation for kids looking for more traditional play activities.

Flora

The area around Antalya is extremely fertile and has an enormous variety of plant species. There are 750 endemic species in the area. What a good place to arrange a botanic EXPO! There are indoor gardens, a cactus garden, an agriculture and biodiversity museum, Turkey Biodiversity Trail, EXPO Greenhouse, EXPO Forest, an aquatic plants garden, medicinal and aromatic herbs garden, institutional and university gardens. And moreover, a peony terrace, which is next to the lake and allows watching of the musical water fountain dance shows.

Live Plant Sculpture Exhibition Area

One of the most fantastic parts of the EXPO is the giant live plant sculptures which spread around a large area and tell their stories with their magnificence. The plant sculpture project belongs to a Canadian firm Mosaicultures Internationales De Montreal and it is the largest plant sculpture site worldwide. For the 108-plant sculpture, it was planned that they would use 700,000 plants.

This area explores the link between humans, animals, insects, plants and human use of these three life forms by visualizing mankind’s journey for survival which has begun thousands of years ago. Gorgeous planting designs spread all around the exposition area. The large lake requires bridges for crossing around and these bridges are not just ordinary boring ones but wonderful botanic gardens. All the WC areas are constructed under small manmade hills. With this creative solution, there don’t seem to be lots of structural areas and it allows to green to extend to the top of the hills, so it enlarges the green area. The Green Oasis Garden which is based on a ‘Green City’ concept is one of the most fantastic gardens in the exposition area. The aim of the design is to demonstrate the value of ‘living green’ in cities and to encourage investment in sustainable green spaces. A water mill confirms one of the sub-themes of the exposition; sustainability. It does this by meeting a portion of the area’s energy needs. It’s made from wood and gives a wonderful view at sunset with the wonderful sky and palm trees which are next to the mill. Antalya’s temperature is generally too hot for walking under the sun, so lots of different coverings take place at the top of the benches, seating areas, and passages. Last but not least, one of the biggest landmarks of the EXPO is the EXPO Tower. The structure is 100.7 m tall and it is possible to see it from almost all parts of the exposition area. EXPO Tower, inspired by Hadrian’s Gate and palm trees, presents a great opportunity to view the unique scenery of EXPO area and Antalya. EXPO Antalya, with its features, ensured that visitors experienced lots of different regions’ flora all in one day. In 2016, not only children but also adults of many different ages and nationalities had lots of fun and at the same time learned about their environment. And the good news: it is now a permanent area and is still open to visitors. Do you think EXPO Antalya 2016 has expressed its theme “Flowers and Children” well?

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Full Project Credits For Expo Antalya 2016:

Project Name: Expo Antalya 2016 Location: Antalya, Turkey Area: 1121 decar Cost: 1.6 billion Turkish Liras Landscape Architecture: Artı Architecture Engineering Consulting Employer: Expo Antalya Agency Project Year: 2016 Recommended Reading:

• Becoming an Urban Planner: A Guide to Careers in Planning and Urban Design by Michael Bayer
• Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature by Douglas Fa

 

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