A look behind the scenes of the new animal hall

"In the background, we have been working on the new animal hall for many months," says Peter Kress from Werbestudio Schmidt, who designed the new animal hall together with his team, the architecture firm A-DES and Unnerstall Holzmarketing. The actual construction in Hall 25 began on December 19 - four weeks before the start of Green Week. But before construction could get underway, there was a lot to develop and review, says Kress: "We wanted to do something completely new. When the fair put the redesign out to tender, we saw our chance and wanted to breathe fresh air into the traditional animal hall." So instead of animal paintings and alpine panoramas, visitors can now expect to see graphic colored surfaces in fresh colors on the walls.

Sustainable, reusable, innovative - the new visitor center

The new visitor center at the head of the demonstration ring is an innovation that had never been seen before, says Kress: "I thought trade show construction had to be different. More sustainable, more reusable. And so we assembled the visitor center from several wooden modules. After the Green Week, they are dismantled again and can be set up in exactly the same way next year. The concept only pays off if it is used several times." More than 300 wooden elements, metal connections and 7,856 screws were installed in the new visitor center. On the first floor, there is space for stallholders, offices and a restaurant kitchen. On the roof there is the visitor terrace with an unrestricted view of the demonstration ring.

More space and peace for the animals

A few things have also changed in the animal hall away from the new visitor center. Under the new concept, the animals will have more space and opportunities to retreat. Visitors who do not regularly see cows, sheep and co. up close will still have this opportunity at Green Week. "The animals are prepared for weeks and months for the fair visit," says stable master Werner Mette. He himself comes from a farming background, has been at the Green Week since childhood as a visitor, stable helper and, for the past 13 years, stable master, and knows the animals: "These are professionals. No young, wild ones are chosen there, the farmers choose exactly which animals they exhibit in the animal hall and prepare them for the hustle and bustle and the visitors." The animals arrive on Thursday, one day before the official start of Green Week. Visitors can look forward to alpacas, cattle, sheep, horses, donkeys, goats, as well as rabbits, bees and bumblebees. The bees are housed in a specially designed Bienarium in Hall 26.

Pigs will not be on display, as at the previous Green Week 2020, due to African swine fever. Poultry will also be omitted this year due to the risk of avian influenza.

On Sunday, directly after the end of the Green Week, the exhibited animals will return to their home barns. Peter Kress and his team then have exactly three days to dismantle the entire animal hall. "Dismantling takes longer than demolition. That will be sporty," says Kress: "But we'll manage. We already take a close look at what has to go first when we're setting up, so that the dismantling goes smoothly."

More info on the animal hall can be found here.