AMPHIBIOUS LIVING: flexible housing in natural areas declared inhabitable SYMPOSIUM AND EXHIBITION, SEPTEMBER 29, 2000 IN KINDERDIJK The countryside is inhabitable. The false division between rural and urban must - at least this is the premise of the 'handbook' for Amphibious Living that the province of South Holland and Bureau Venhuizen are writing - be eradicated as soon as possible. Because the housing is not to the detriment of the landscape, but is optimally adapted to the existing nature, the new insights also offer points of departure for living in extremely marshy or floodland areas. Amphibious Living is an appeal for the abandonment of the compulsive control of water, for the acceptance of climactic influences, tides and seasons in the living environment, as well as a plea for a new mentality about living. Controlling natural conditions does not begin with imposing one's own will on the landscape, but through taking full advantage of the qualities of a dynamic relationship between land and water. At the same time, this means that the living conditions cannot be predicted. Amphibious Living therefore also demands an adventurous mentality and a higher level of self-sufficiency than we are accustomed to in the Netherlands, where everything is planned down to the last detail. Living in harmony with nature also entails living in a legal no-man's-land in which matters such as being registered with a particular municipality, right of way, and fixed sewers cannot be taken for granted. The local natural features are the starting point for the amphibious housing form. Living in very marshy or floodland areas is thus no longer a problem, but simply one of the conditions that can lead to, for example, floating houses or housing in featherweight constructions. The Amphibious Living project started earlier this year with a competition. From the more than 150 original and innovative designs and solutions in the fields of architecture, urban planning and physical planning for amphibious locations, a number of ideas were selected for further elaboration by professional implementation teams. The results are concrete and realistic solutions, specifically tailored to the polders of Barendrecht, Rotterdam-IJsselmonde and Gouda. On September 29 these plans will be presented at a symposium and an exhibition at Kinderdijk. The symposium will involve the presentation of plans by the implementation teams, and there will be discussions between a panel of urban planners, project developers, building contractors and (landscape) architects, as well as representatives of local authorities and government ministries. The discussion will be led by Bert van Meggelen, intendant of Rotterdam 2001, Cultural Capital of Europe. Following this, the exhibition 'Amphibious Living' will be opened by South-Holland's provincial executive for Physical Planning and Culture, Mr. M. Vissers. In conjunction with the exhibition, a catalogue is being published (NAI Publishers) with the history and the work of the implementation teams as well as essays by Hans Venhuizen, Paul Meurs, Bart Lootsma, Jaap Huisman and others. For further information contact: Bureau Venhuizen, telephone 010-2444655, fax 010-4762690, e-mail desk@bureauvenhuizen.com. Three exhibitions SEPTEMBER 30 THROUGH OCTOBER 28 Amphibious Living is part of the project 'The Art of Creating Water', South-Holland Cultural Province 2000, an initiative of the province of South-Holland. The project includes the exhibitions listed below: Amphibious Living Location: Wisboomgemaal, Kinderdijk As a follow-up to the competition, a number of ideas submitted by entrants were further elaborated by expert implementation teams. The resulting work, concrete and highly realistic solutions, tailored to the polders of Gouda, Barendrecht and Rotterdam-IJsselmonde, are presented in the exhibition. The workshops were led by Lucas Verweij, Dennis Moet, Henk de Vroom and Juliette van der Meijden. All the entries for the competition can be studied on computers too, along with additional information about the implementation teams. Eiland van de toekomst (Island of the future) Location: Wisboomgemaal, Kinderdijk 'Eiland van de toekomst' ('Island of the future') shows the designs for islands created by children from 26 primary schools in the province of South-Holland. The participating schools worked on the gradual construction of a scale model of an island, making use of a large variety of narratives, personalities, poems and comic strips. The children came up with creative solutions for living, working, transport and recreation on the water. Exhibition of the Water Board for Alblasserwaard and the Vijfheerenlanden and the Water Purification Board for Holland's islands and forelands Location J.U. Smitgemaal, Kinderdijk This exhibition introduces the role and tasks of these organisations in the Kinderdijk area, paying special attention to water management (quality and quantity), roadways and dikes. Historic windmill open longer hours The visitors' mill will be open to the public during the period of the exhibitions. From October 21 through October 28, all the windmills on the Kinderdijk will be illuminated from 4 p.m. Admission prices and opening times Tickets at NLG 7.50 (NLG. 5.00 for children) are available at the site. All exhibitions are open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Amphibious Living Catalogue The catalogue includes all the competition entries, the work of the implementation teams and contributions from, among others, Paul Meurs, Jaap Huisman, Bart Lootsma and Hans Venhuizen. The publication in conjunction with the Amphibious Living exhibitions was produced by NAI Publishers and is on sale for NLG. 45.00 at the exhibition and better booksellers. Getting to Kinderdijk by boat On Saturday September 30, October 14 and October 28 a boat will leave from the Boompjeskade, Rotterdam, at 12.00 p.m. On board, a guide will talk about the Amphibious Living project. The boat trip aboard the 'Erasmus' and entrance to all three exhibitions cost NLG. 32.50. Tickets are for sale on the boat and at the VVV Rotterdam tourist office. Groups of more than 30 people will enjoy a 10% reduction. Reservations can be made with Rebus Special Events (tel. 010-2183131, fax: 010-2183295). 'Designs for Amphibious living' is a project that is being implemented in the context of The Art of Creative Water. The project is being organized by Kunstgebouw and Bureau Hans Venhuizen and has been commissioned by the Province of South Holland.