A stunning conference centre built by Smiemans, who have provided many UK garden centres with new buildings, was opened recently at Baarn in the Netherlands.

The Bomencentrum Nederland (Nertherlands Tree Centre) was commissioned by owner Hans Blokzij. It sits in a waterside setting in the middle of 25 hectares of parkland.

Among the highlights of the 9m-high design is the Victorian style roof – a technical tour de force, particularly because of its curved wood and glass elements. Wooden rafters made of Austrian pine have been used for the load-bearing structure, on top of which are coated steel profiles. The sidewalls were fitted with clear glass and green-tinted glass was used on the steel roof structure. The combination gives the project a beautiful, warm appearance.

The new building’s basement has conference rooms, the ground floor space can be divided into multifunctional areas and the turrets on the second floor contain the kitchen, the toilet facilities and an office.

MIII Architecten designed the project, which involved:

• 1.705 pieces of aluminium glass profiles and rubbers
• 900 pieces aluminium flashing
• 307 steel purlins
• 63 steel curved trusses
• 232 pieces of roof glass
• 60 pieces of dome glass
• 162 pieces of gable glass