NOA's ultra-modern vision of outdoor living

To experience means to gain knowledge through direct participation or observation, to perceive something by personally encountering it; ‘Experience is the best teacher’ as the old saying goes. Stepping into NOA's supersized garden pavilion, visitors are met with a setting, created purely for the sake of experiencing. ‘NOA is a never-seen-before total experience’, says Hilde Baekelandt, Concept Manager at NOA, ‘We show rather than tell.’

The NOA concept has been carefully prepared, the brand-new premises developed and built over the course of recent years, and now, it's ready to open its doors in October 2022. 25,000 sqm of indoor and, notably, outdoor space will be ready to receive professionals – architects, designers, planners and specifiers – who are particularly curious about the potential of the outdoor environment.

‘This is a showroom where you will be met by peace and calm. We and all our partners know just how much can be done to facilitate and improve our outdoor surroundings, and we also understand the reasons why people are looking to spend more time outdoors’, explains Baekelandt. ‘We live in overwhelming times, and more than ever, we need to take breaks, away from noise, screens and social media.’ At NOA, professionals can stroll around the park and indulge in a large variety of outdoor atmospheres and settings while obtaining information about the latest innovations in outdoor products: kitchens and barbeques, flooring and fencing, patios, pavilions and sun protection, pools and spas, decoration, art and lighting, even outdoor music and television are all on display.

‘One could say that this is just the natural next step from what has been happening over the last years; people like concepts, they do not search for one chair anymore, they want the full package’, says Baekelandt, touching on the subject of how design fairs have evolved over the last decade. Even before the pandemic, the tendency amongst many manufacturers to seriously question the outcome of annual fair participation had already started, prioritising more consciously and considering how to showcase and promote their products in new, more innovative and inspiring ways.

Anybody with even the slightest insight into the Belgian design scene will know that outdoor living has been on the agenda for many years. At NOA, visitors will experience outdoor specialist brands, producing high-end and contemporary designs. ‘NOA is commercial in the sense that all of our partners are interested in growing and everybody visiting is looking for a solution, yet the space is not a sales point – there are no salespeople walking around; all the required product information is made visible with small and subtle tags’, Baekelandt adds, underlining the collective wish of all participating brands to establish a refreshing and stimulating ambience.

The facilities at NOA are conceived for networking, events and meetings, and being close to international airports and highways, the logistics of getting there are smooth. It’s Eden, one could say, for professionals who yearn for a dynamic yet revitalising location to meet, discover and form collaborative partnerships. Sample materials from the various brands are at their disposal, and architects can bring their own clients to work on specific projects. The indoor area also includes workspaces and a restaurant, open without reservation. ‘We will continue to evolve at NOA, that’s for sure; we'll offer all kinds of uplifting experiences for our visitors and always showcase the best in outdoor design,’ promises Baekelandt.

© Architonic