Biography

John Boon (Hoorn, The Netherlands, 1969) comes from a horticultural family. His ancestors were closely involved in the Flora Bovenkarspel, the world’s largest indoor flower bulb exhibition. As a child, his interest in landscape architecture was thus stimulated. John studied in Boskoop (Van Hall Larenstein, University of applied sciences, B.Sc.) and Amsterdam (Amsterdam University of the Arts, Academy of Architecture, M.LA.). Already as a student, he became board member of NVTL (The Dutch Association for Landscape Architecture). He also got involved with ELASA (European Landscape Architecture Students’ Association). In 1997 he was board member of the association that organized the ELASA-meeting in The Netherlands. In 2008, John got involved with IFLA World as board member of the association that organized the world congress in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. In his professional career John is director Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Arcadis Nederland BV. The crown on his work came in 2007 when he was appointed chief designer of the world horticultural exhibition Floriade 2012 in Venlo (The Netherlands). Since then, he has been working on prestigious projects at home and abroad. Beside of that he is commissioner at a foundation which operates three monumental cemeteries in Hilversum and consultant from the professional world at Van Hall Larenstein, University of Applied Science. John is married to Marieke (also active in our sector) and has two sons: Fedde (10 years old) and Lars (17 years old).