" and in all regions the voice of the water with its
eternal disasters is dreaded and heard"
from 'Herinnering aan Holland' (Remembering Holland) by H.Marsman.
The Netherlands is a country of hydraulic engineers that
have been working for centuries to defend the inhabitants of the Low Countries
against the water. The knowledge that is gained in the process can be
used in more ways than a purely defensive one. The conscious use of water
in landscape, city planning and architecture can make a pleasure from
a burden.
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In the landscape layout rivers again receive forelands meant as nature- and recreation areas. At the same time these areas work as a sponge that can absorb the excess of water during times of too high water.
The usage of water in city planning is also based on an intelligent double usage. The polders that were pumped dry in the past by our forefathers, with a lot of effort, are now again introduced in modern living areas. Space is created for water sports including the Dutch number one national sport, ice-skating. These water areas are, besides being recreational areas, also part of water purification installations.
The houseboat, typical for the Netherlands, appears to be accepted again as a housing type after years of being out of favour. Using water as foundation saves complicated constructions. And accepting water in our direct environment saves dry-pumping energy.
In architecture there are also many possibilities for using
water.
-Water as energy carrier such as applied in a 0-energy home in Cornwall.
In this home water tanks in the cellar are used for heat storage.
-Water as medium for cooling and heating as proposed by Kristinsson in
the exergy home. Water basins in the piles are part of a heat exchange.
In the interior of modern offices water pipes take up less space than
air channels.
-Water used for air treatment such as applied in the Minnaert-building.
By applying 'open' water in the form of for example ponds the air humidity
can be kept at an agreeable level.
-Water vapour cools. Our climate is not suitable for refreshing fountains
in squares, let alone for systems that cool by evaporation. This form
of cooling by transpiration is only suitable for the hot areas of for
example Andalusia in Spain where several good examples were shown during
the world exhibition in Seville in 1992.
-Water is cleansing as in the 'Living Machines' by John Todd. Tanks with
algae and fish are part of a do-it-yourself water purification installation,
however the same can also be achieved with a simple Dutch cane-field.
Water management was the work of civil engineers that with effort achieved
to keep our feet dry. That applying water in buildings and cities can
also have an agreeable meaning appears from the many Links that can be
made in the SmartGrid
jv