The Polder Block is an ongoing research of Alexander Sverdlov and David Koezen. The research aims at development of modern housing types actively enganing both the community of people and the landscape.How housing project could introduce new dimensions of sustainability? How the housing market could adress wishes of the individuals in a better way? How to balalnce the individual and the collective?In this project water living, leisure lifestyles and diverse ecologies come togehter as a proposition for a new community.

2020?

1960s: collective

1970s: semi-collective

2000s individual

The project stands as a clear mark between the city and the (yet) open land.Facing the future extension of the city, the Polder Block introduces new relationships between city and landscape, the ones going beyond guilt of urbanization. The Polder Block takes the usual ingredients of a suburbia, with its low density, individual plots and free standing houses, and frames them into a perimetral block.

1960s: collective

1970s: semi-collective

2000s individual

2020s customized collective

The extended partition walls become the means of co-existence, the mortar of the block, both separating the parcels and binding them together. Furthermore, the partition walls define highly specialized plots. The proportion of soil and water, different depth and specific flora are now in the hands of the dwellers themsevels...Consequently, landscape becomes a function of multiple, ever changing micro ecologies. The block turns into an urban device that intensifies and re-produces landscape instead of consuming it.

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BLOCK COMPONENTSA. Solar panelsB. Canopy housingC. Housing extensionsD. Partition wallsE. Helophyte filterF. Water bufferG. Orchards / gardens water filterH. River

THE CIRCULATION1. Supply flow river water2. Supply flow clean water to water buffer through garden filter3. Internal circulation water buffer4. Supply flow drinking water (+filter)5. Return flow grey water6. Return to surface water polder7. Return compost used as fertilizer on orchard

THE CIRCULATIONThe interior Arcadia uses a water system that is entirely autarchic. The system starts with the retriieval of sufrace water of an existing water body in the neighborhood like a river, lake, wetlands, and so on. It purifies the water in a large orchard / vegetable / botanical garden outside of the block. The different ecologies within the block are being fed by the nutrient rich waters that were filtered by the gardens. Ecological life could sprawl under mint conditions. From there on the water (after a series of small filters) is being used as daily water for the inhabitants of the block, even drinking water. Compost toilets are used to prevent the mixing of grey and black water systems. The compost of the toilets can be used in the garden as verti-lizer. After use the grey water is filtered by an external helophyte filter and released into the surface water of the surrounding area. The Interior Arcadia does not only serve itself but serves the net with electricity, produces food in it’s gardens and puri-fies water for it’s surrounding area.

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clean water

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clean water

THE CANOPYSpanning all of the plots in one go, The Canopy rests on The Walls and contains most of the housing program area on the second level. Therefore, in case of each individual parcel it frames the ground level access as a portal towards the land-scape on the inside of the block. The car or the boat could be sheltered under the canopy marking the entrance of the house.

THE SOLAR PANELSOn top of the canopy housing there are solar panels. It is used as to provide electricity for the housing and if there is excess energy feed it back to the net. The block thus uses less electric-ity

THE HOUSE EXTENSIONSGiving attention to the diversity of modern lifestyles, of which not all could be foreseen, the project anticipates highly specific house extensions. The extra rooms join the Canopy in various ways. Would it be the extra bedroom, home cinema, garage or the workshop, they introduce a micro grain to the whole block. Visible from the outside, the extensions become yet another representation of the individual.

THE WALLSIn the traditional city the firewall separated the buildings while allowing for density as they could join together. In the Interior Arcadia the firewall (waterwall) has more functions. Not only it separates the individual addresses but also makes the very car-cass of each house. Going deep down into the Dutch soil, The Wall, minimizes the actual footprint of the house. Anchored at the perimeter of the block, and cutting a section of the land or water The Walls define the envelope for the individual ecology.

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WATER AND ENERGY CYCLE

Dike

Car access

Elevated path for pedestrians and cyclists

A combination of different housing blocks

Navigable water

Shallow water

Ground vegetation

Water vegetation

Marina along the canal for medium-sized and large boats

Interior water basins for small boatsMarina within a residential block for small and medium-sized boats

Beach

Polder landscape

Preserved grove

SEVEN DIFFERENT DENSITIES - SEVEN ECOLOGIES

Two guest rooms

Glass house and sauna

Workshop and play house

Boat house and garage

Artist’s studio

Home office

CUSTOMIZATION POSSIBILITIES

Open water withfloating reedbeds Reed swampSandy beachWet ground with willows Waterfront gardensWet meadow

Open water withrooted plants Marsh

INTERIOR OF THE POLDER BLOCK

PLAN OF SEVERAL BLOCKS

PLAN OF SEVERAL BLOCKS SHOWING PHASING