Frame IV     The land is built upon

The allotment and division of the villages in the polder seems to be somewhat modernistic, yet a more traditional view can be found within the villages themselves. This is true for the layout (streets ending on a small square), as well as for the buildings (red brick houses with red orange-tiled roofs). That traditional image originates from the architects who mostly supported the 'Delftse School' (an architectural style inspired by Delft professor Granpré Molière).

The building of cities and architecture

Rutten and Kraggenburg have a less traditional setup, but the village, which truly breaks with tradition, is Nagele. This town was designed by supporters of the so-called 'Nieuwe Bouwen' (modern construction), a response to ‘Delftse School’. As a result, a new town was designed which proved to be truly unique, not only in the Noordoostpolder, but also throughout Holland and Europe. Elements of this 'Nieuwe Bouwen' can, of course, be found more frequently in Holland; an entire town, which was completely erected in this manner, up to the minutest details, is very special. The original design has been preserved in spite of the practical objections of inhabitants. Therefore, the entire village gradually received a ‘monument status’ and because of this, it functions as a case study for future architecture.

Film: The former houses of agricultural workers in the Noordoostpolder are still attractive.

Vibrated concrete

The farmhouses and houses of agricultural workers were once again of a more traditional nature, Though a modern, rationalistic and functionalist element can be found here as well: the so-called vibrated-concrete-barns (“schokbetonschuren”). These barns were not designed for architectural or artistic reasons, but for functionality. They are buildings made from prefab concrete elements: a manner of construction born out of necessity. A lot of farms could be built in a relatively short period of time using this strategy. There are almost one thousand of these in the Noordoostpolder. With their white-grayish facades and large red orange-tiled roofs, they form a very recognizable and characteristic feature of the landscape.

[Picture] A farm with a barn made out from vibrated concrete. (near Ens N.O.P.).