ORCHID CITY REINVENTING THE FUTURE OF LIVING

Read more on this project: https://orchidcity.eco/

Team Project with Except Integrated Sustainability

Role: Lead Urban Planner and Urban Designer (2021- ongoing)

The Context

Orchid City is an own-project of Except Integrated Sustainability, developed by a team of sustainability researchers, architects, urban planners, engineers, and business developers, along with global partners.

The project recognizes the impact of cities on the environment and society, particularly their high consumption of energy and production of pollutants. To address these challenges, it is necessary to focus on improving urban development, neighborhood design, and human interaction within the built environment.

Orchid City aims to do precisely that by prioritizing not just the physical infrastructure but also the relationships and systems that operate within the city.

By doing so, the project can create more sustainable and livable urban environments that benefit everyone, especially vulnerable populations.

About The Project

Orchid City is the world’s first futureproof and fully self-sustainable city blueprint. By utilizing a holistic and climate-adaptive vision, Orchid City solves many infrastructure and systemic challenges related to clean energy generation, waste management, food production, and housing affordability. The blueprint ensures that healthy and vibrant ecosystems directly benefit residents while also helping to strengthen regional economies and enhancing resilience to deal with the effects of climate change. Orchid City applies an integrated strategy to produce detailed systemic modeling and far-reaching improvements. It combines innovative solutions in agriculture, resource management, climate adaptation, and bio-based construction and manufacturing. One of the essential features of Orchid City is the integration and fostering of economic development and generational connectivity - a vital step in creating a vibrant and harmonious community. Strong social cohesion not only makes for a nice place to live but provides financial and educational support for workshop centers, community services, and programs that produce positive cultures, small business development, and other innovative outcomes. The Orchid City blueprint supports various communities and is scalable in size, ranging from small towns of 500 inhabitants to larger settlements of 50,000+. The design is adaptable across multiple climates, locations, and cultures and can support all types of economic activity from low to high-tech industries. An Orchid City community can work within the confines and availability of a particular space, the ambitions of partners, and the unique local demands for such sustainable developments. Orchid City’s feasibility has been modeled for locations in Brazil, the Netherlands, and Vietnam and is extensible to any part of the world, in either urban or rural contexts. This universality reveals Orchid City’s adaptability and resilience to different environments, cultures, and economic situations. built

On A Scalable Dynamic Model

Orchid City Metabolic Map

The Orchid City blueprint can adapt across different scales, from a small neighborhood to a sizeable town, primarily driven by the availability of space, the community's population, and the budget and ambitions of partners.

Regenerative resource cycles ensure the city flourishes

500 inhabitants

Total land area: 175 ha

Built up area: 4.1 ha

Centers & satellites: 1

Self-sufficiency: 75%

Development costs: € 125 million

5,000 inhabitants

Total area: 1,840 ha

Built up area: 49 ha

Centers & satellites: 3-5

Self-sufficiency: 90%+

Development costs: € 1.400 million

Orchid City is built on a scalable dynamic model

15,000 inhabitants

Total area: 5,570 ha

Built up area: 140 ha

Centers & satellites: 5-8

Self-sufficiency: 95%+

Development costs: € 4.200 million

The Orchid City blueprint can adapt across different scales, from a small neighborhood to a sizeable town, primarily driven by the availability of space, the community’s population, and the budget and ambitions of partners.

Orchic City Vietnam, The Delta Sketch-masterplan and strategy

Located on Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, is Orchid City - The Delta. Flooding remains one of the most significant issues here and will worsen in the future. This blueprint enhances access to meaningful jobs, flood adaptation, and water management and purification. Mangroves and banks protect the waterfront, and canals guide water through the community toward productive rice terraces, food forests, and localized flood plains.

OC Vietnam has been planned to accommodate 5,000 residents within a total area of 1,474 hectares, of which only 21 hectares have been developed for buildings, while the rest is dedicated to diverse natural landscapes serving various purposes, including food production, flood management, and recreational activities.

The pages that follow depict various areas of OC Vietnam, highlighting the characteristics of both these environments.

Neighborhood on the Terraces

Cultivated terraces elevated infrastructure

Houses in stilts

Aquatic habitat

Fishing pond

Orchard

Neighborhood in the Forest

Open air food market

High-tech agriculture

Floating market

Elevated land

Elevated houses

Food forest

OC Waterfront Downtown

Outdoor community spaces

Port and waterfront promenade

Mangroves

Green terraces

Food forest