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Soon, residents will be able to visit the farm and taste locally produced oyster mushrooms
Home to more than 9,000 plants and herbs, as well as an oyster mushroom nursery inside, the 18-meter-tall vertical farm forms the heart of the Dutch pavilion, attracting thousands of curious visitors during Expo 2020.
Although the pavilion has been closed to tourists since the end of the expo, Dubai residents will soon be able to visit the farm and even taste locally produced mushrooms.
Local entrepreneur and educator Dima Al Srouri purchased the oyster mushroom farm and system from the Dutch pavilion.
She said she plans to open the farm over the summer and supply it to local restaurants and use it for educational purposes.
“The Netherlands Pavilion is a perfect example of an ecosystem where oyster mushrooms produce carbon dioxide and plants consume carbon dioxide. We have purchased the farm and will soon be shipping to our new location in Dubai,” said Srouri, who teaches urban planning at Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi. The plants will be returned to local suppliers and turned into compost there, serving as food for other plants.
Organisers said that during the six-month period of the expo, “tons of mushrooms” were grown using a circular climate system that links water, energy and food within the pavilion’s biome. A perfect circular economy prototype was created to inspire visitors to think about integrated solutions for sustainable lifestyles.
A chimney at the top of the cone draws in air, and water is created using a condensation process powered by solar panels on the pavilion’s roof. The brainchild of Dutch company SunGlacier Technologies and designer Ap Verheggen, the system can produce up to 1,200 litres of water per day for feeding extrapyramidal plants and herbs. Mushrooms grow in the dark interior of the giant cone.
Local mushrooms are on the shelf
Srouri said she will continue to grow newer and exotic mushroom varieties on the new farm. She said that as the UAE market matures, there will be many buyers, and there will be many people who are passionate about living sustainably and supporting locally produced goods. Her products will cater to this niche.
“The UAE market mainly imports mushrooms. They have a short shelf life. Having good quality mushrooms produced locally will greatly contribute to our food and nutritional security,” said Srouri, who also owns Biospheric City Lab, a company that provides sustainable development strategies and A boutique consultancy for solutions with a focus on urban and built environments.
The demolition process is underway and the mushrooms are being kept in containers on the Expo site. The location of the farm will be announced at a later stage, Srouri said.
Srouri said she also plans to use mushrooms to produce mycelium, replicating the example used by the Dutch pavilion. The floors and panels of the Dutch pavilion are constructed from mycelium.
Unlike building materials derived from fossil sources, bio-based building materials such as mycelium store carbon dioxide, require much less energy to produce, and after use, mycelium can be composted.
She is also considering working with other local parties in the future to use mycelium as a building material
“I’m thinking of working with a local company to produce mycelium from mushrooms. The idea is to apply a circular economy model and not throw anything away,” she said.
In her production space, panels of mycelium from the Netherlands Pavilion will be on display for the public to see, feel and learn about these future building materials.
Pavilion renovation
In keeping with the Expo’s sustainability goals, the Netherlands Pavilion is one of the national pavilions built as a temporary structure that can be completely demolished, with raw materials that can be reused and recycled. Only the national pavilions of India, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia will remain and become part of the Expo heritage.
Carel Richter, the general commissioner of the Netherlands pavilion, said that since the pavilion was built without any concrete or even any foundation, they will leave the site in 2018. “
For example, 2,000 tons of steel sheet piles are rented locally. They will be taken back by Dutch firm Meever & Meever and will be used for a new construction project in Dubai. No concrete was used in construction.
Mycelium tiles made from mushrooms and biodegradable curtains will be reused or recycled.
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Local sand is used to fill the floor mats, which will be reused in local construction. The same goes for the solar panels used in the pavilion. Irrigation systems with equipment will be removed and reused in local greenhouses.
“Our legacy is to give back to nature and leave the land we find,” Richter said. “Our physical footprint will be minimized. Our story of creating a sustainable future continues,” Richter said.
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