Embassy Architect Lunch at ROOTS Rooftop

On Thursday 23 April, ROOTS Exhibition was honoured to welcome the Embassy and Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands during Milano Design Week for a special presentation and international Architect Lunch at the beautyful ROOTS Rooftop

Hosted in collaboration with Masterly – The Dutch in Milano, the events brought together an influential network of architects, designers, innovators, policy makers, and sustainability leaders from both the Netherlands and Italy. The strong presence and support of the Dutch Embassy and Consulate General reflects the growing international recognition of ROOTS Exhibition as a platform for regenerative design, material innovation and future-focused collaboration.

During the afternoon gathering, Simone van Es personally presented Sleeping Beauty, a Symbiotic Symphony to the invited guests, sharing the vision behind ROOTS Exhibition and its mission to reconnect design, nature, materials, food systems and architecture. The installation became the setting for inspiring conversations around sustainability, circularity and the future of the built environment.

Among the guests and participants were representatives from leading organisations including BNA (Royal Institute of Dutch Architects), De Zwarte Hond, Federatie Creatieve Industrie (FCI), Urban Climate Architects, The Urban Woods, Lombardini22, Progetto CMR, OMA, Stefano Boeri Architetti, ATI Project, Park Associati, Ricehouse, PMP Architecture, Materially, Isola Design Group, and ROOTS Exhibition.

The ongoing support from Consul General Mascha Baak and the Dutch diplomatic network underlines the importance of design and creativity in shaping a more sustainable future. Their engagement with ROOTS Exhibition highlights the growing relevance of regenerative thinking within international cultural, architectural and economic dialogue.

These moments demonstrate the unique international network and high-level connections that Masterly and ROOTS continue to cultivate — bringing together pioneers, institutions, governments and creatives who share a vision for a more connected and regenerative world.

Masha Baak introducing guests and word of welcome