Photo: Resource. A new garden is taking shape between Omnia and Orion. The idea is that it will be a sheltered spot where different worlds meet one another.
The garden was designed by former WUR Landscape Architecture students Thamar Zeinstra and Raidun Schott, under the supervision of landscape designer Martine van Moûrik. The students did their internship at Wageningen Environmental Research, where they were given the assignment to create a garden based on NL2120. That is the map WUR produced of the Netherlands a century from now, taking into account what is needed for agriculture, biodiversity, sustainable energy, water and the circular economy.
Schott: ‘As the basis, we designed four bodies of soil that gradually rise up to create an intimate core, functioning as a sheltered spot for recreation. Students, WUR staff and workers from the campus-based companies can meet one another here. The NL2120 map is reflected for example in our approach to water, with the wadi we put in the centre. It shows how the water system works: in the summer it is dry and in the winter it is wet. The garden is also connected to the Omnia wet garden because that end of our garden is low-lying and wet.’
The two bikes fixed to the spot that let visitors operate a fountain have now been installed. There will also be ‘sunbeds’ for recharging devices. The indigenous plants have been put in. They include a herb-rich section of grassland and a meadow with flowers, interspersed in places with perennials such as yarrow. The garden will probably be finished early November, with the official opening next spring.
