未来花园丨比利时丨Koen Vanmechelen

Designer：Koen Vanmechelen

Location：Genk, Belgium; | ;View Map

Project Year：2024

Category：Parks/Gardens;Laboratories

LABIOMISTA, the 24-hectare park that Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen for the past five years has been creating as an evolving work of art centered on the mix of life, has unveiled 'Future Garden,' a new ecological complex and laboratory for the future.

Designed by the artist himself, this energy-efficient 850 m² complex features a mastaba-like structure with a striking bridge and extensive animal pastures. It will house a pair of tapirs—an endangered species symbolizing diversity, fertility, and adaptation—along with a studio and a research laboratory.

As such, Future Garden is more than just a tapir enclosure; it will serve as a unique hub for research, dialogue, and discovery at the intersection of humans, nature, and technology. The projects developed here will contribute to the transition toward a more symbiotic society that harmonizes culture and nature, a movement Vanmechelen terms the Cosmopolitan Renaissance.

Undoubtedly, the most striking feature of Future Garden is the tapir enclosure and its inhabitants.

The tapir, a mammal primarily found in Southeast Asia and South and Central America, has fossils that have been discovered worldwide. For Koen Vanmechelen, the tapir embodies the essence of Future Garden. This remarkable animal represents the hybridity of life, symbolizing diversity, fertility, and adaptation. With the head of an elephant, the legs of a rhino, and the body of a wild boar, tapirs have been enhancing our planet for over 50 million years. Their unique prehensile noses allow them to excel as seed dispersers and fertilizers within ecosystems. As 'living fossils' and 'gardeners of the jungle,' they carry the wisdom of the past while planting the seeds for the future.

At LABIOMISTA, tapirs will enjoy a habitat of more than 2800 m2 alongside the Brown Hokkos (another endangered species from the pheasant family), also known as the lucky bird. Together with the artwork ‘See Me’—a life-size bronze condor perched on an oversized human finger—they encourage visitors to think beyond the Anthropocene.

The building, featuring sloping bamboo walls and expansive glass panels, is a contemporary interpretation of the Mastaba, a precursor of the Egyptian pyramids. The public roof terrace, spanning approximately 125 m², offers stunning views of the park and invites fresh perspectives. For the realization and sustainability of the project, the artist collaborated with architects Buro B and contractor Thys Bouwprojecten. The decision was made to use CLT wood (cross-laminated timber) as the primary building material, an innovative technique that minimizes CO2 emissions and construction waste while addressing global warming. The building is clad in bamboo, a highly sustainable material known for its rapid growth and efficient CO2 absorption. Additionally, the building features a partial green roof to enhance biodiversity and will be equipped with solar panels. The animal enclosure includes both indoor and outdoor spaces, designed in collaboration with Buro Landschap.

In addition to the tapir enclosure, Future Garden will also house a research laboratory and workspace developed in partnership with the University of Hasselt, alongside leading scientists such as Dr. Willem Ombelet (The Walking Egg), Dr. Philip Remans (MOUTH Foundation), and social entrepreneur Chido Govera (The Future of Hope).

From the intersection of nature, culture, and technology, the focus will be on three major societal challenges and research areas central to Vanmechelen's work: fertility, immunity, and diversity.

One of the other projects in the labo involves research on fungi, led by Chido Govera. This research emphasizes the importance and applications of fungi in sustainable development, highlighting the interconnectedness of people, nature, and science that underpins Future Garden.

Future Garden also serves as a catalyst for further developments in the surrounding neighborhood. In the context of LaVieBreede, an initiative by LABIOMISTA and OpUnDi Genk based on a concept by Koen Vanmechelen, efforts are being made to integrate, revitalize, and strengthen the area around LABIOMISTA.

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