Barendrecht Three photos of the Zuidpolder. The first dates from the year 2000: empty ploughland, with the skyline of Barendrecht on the horizon. The second photo was taken in 2005. Creeks run through the polder and at some points the land has been slightly raised. In the lower, marshy areas there are pontoons with houses among the willow trees; in early spring there was still 30 centimetre of water here. The third photo is from 2010 and shows the luxuriant vegetation that has now matured. There are now more houses, standing or floating, but not in the same places as five years ago. To the south of the present built-up area of Barendrecht lies the Zuidpolder. To the east there is a blind branch of the River Waal, to the south the Oude Maas and to the west the A29 motorway and beyond it the VINEX expansion area of Carnisselande. The Zuidpolder, now still a mainly agricultural area, will be in line for development after Carnisselande. The recent draft of the new land-use plan says that there is room in the polder for development of nature, recreation, housing and businesses. In the Middle Ages this was the site of the boggy landscape of the river delta. Clay was deposited at some points (along the meandering creeks and after floods). After the damming in of the island IJsselmonde (on which Barendrecht stands) was completed in 1580, it was possible to drain the area, and large and small polders were reclaimed. As soon as the water level was lowered, the bottom began to settle, so that the older polders now lie lower than the later ones. At first sight the ground looks dry and firm, but in reality the bottom is so bad locally that it is more like 'thick water'. On the new housing estates of Carnisselande the sewers even sank through their own weight, and the council had to put piles under the pipes. The four zones of the Zuidpolder . The amphibious zone is central. The task given to the workshop was to produce a plan for an amphibious environment in which there would be a place for various functions (such as housing and nature). This accords with the regional structure plan, whose aims include: 'The greatest possible interweaving of natural and landscape development with recreation and (light) urbanisation'. The four zones of the Zuidpolder . The amphibious zone is central. map of levels of height in the amphibious zone. The core of the workshop's plan is literally and figuratively an 'amphibious zone' in which the wet character of the area is not opposed but taken instead as the starting point for a new and exciting landscape in which to live and find recreation. This amphibious zone lies in the middle of the location. The other parts of the Zuidpolder are less radically altered. In the north west there is the 'dry zone', where agriculture is already giving way to housing and businesses. In the 'recreation zone' along the Oude Maas the existing recreational function is strengthened, while the 'agrarian zone' in the north east retains its agricultural function. activity in the building process of a non-amphibious area. activity in the building process of an amphibious area. In the amphibious zone the water management aimed at keeping the polder artificially dry will be reduced. The water level will slowly but surely rise, making the difference between the wet low parts and the dry high parts more and more visible. The pumps will remain in service. As soon as the water level reaches a predetermined maximum (about one metre above the present average ground level) the pumps will be activated. Otherwise the whole zone would end up two metres under water, making it necessary to have a dyke four metres high along the northern edge. In the amphibious zone the differences between the high and low parts will be accentuated by digging out the low parts and raising the high parts with the earth removed. It may seem paradoxical, but it is the highest and driest parts that will not be built on. Building on the high parts would mean that their level would have to be raised with sand, that the houses would have to stand on piles and that there would be an unceasing battle to prevent roads and pipelines from sinking. A new dyke (two metres high and four metres wide) on the northern edge will separate the amphibious zone from the dry zone in the most northern part of the Zuidpolder. If necessary, existing farms and other buildings in the amphibious zone will also be protected from the water by dykes. At the site of the planned cemetery, where mainly sand has been deposited (verging on the recreation zone in the south), there will be a beach where it will be possible to swim in pure natural water. The new amphibious landscape of the Zuidpolder makes new natural values possible, with a rich vegetation that differs according to the water level. The flora and fauna will continue to develop. The diversity will increase, partly because of the movements and grazing of 'wild' cattle and horses. Within five to ten years the trees and bushes will have grown substantially. The essence of the approach is timescaping: developing with the time factor and exploiting natural processes and dynamics. The area and the way in which it is used for housing and recreation will continually change with the seasons - and the years. So no static end result can be described. Because nature and recreation will predominate in the amphibious zone, the number of amphibious dwellings will be limited. The land will not be sold, but permits for moorings will be issued (you could start with 50). Within these restrictions, the residents enjoy great freedom. They choose their own spot, alone or in a group. When the water is high enough, the dwelling can be moved. This freedom means, however, that the residents must be willing to adapt to the amphibious circumstances. No new metalled roads will be built, but there will be floating paths and the existing roads will be retained. eco-technics for the new house There will be three kinds of dwelling. The water dwellings float in the deeper water. The amphibious dwellings have a shallow draught and are located in the transitional zone between land and water; accordingly, they are less mobile. The 'light' dwellings have a fixed place on the dry parts. Eight pictures of the same spot in the amphibious zone of the Zuidpolder at different times. The cycle track, footpath and car track are permanent features; family dwellings and semi-detached houses come and go. The houses have a water purification system integrated into their shells. There is a water campsite and a purification field. The final result assumes a restriction by the local authority on the number of dwellings allowed. The area is currently under development as a wood. The residents can have a dwelling designed for them or choose from a catalogue. The conditions dwellings must meet will relate mainly to their durability. The dwellings and life inside them must be largely self-sufficient and autonomous (although it will probably not be possible to do without a supply of drinking water), and they must be in equilibrium with the amphibious landscape (autarkic living). Possible amphibious homes. Pos sible amphibious homes.