The Orange Zone: A Socially Connected Neighborhood in Schieweg (Delft, Netherlands) is the Master Thesis project of Arno Decorte.
Project description
The current housing crisis in the Netherlands offers limited options for elderly individuals who wish to age while maintaining strong social connections. My thesis, The Orange Zone, proposes a new housing development in Schieweg that fosters healthy interactions between the elderly and other demographics.
By rethinking traditional cluster housing, the project focuses on strengthening community bonds. The design revolves around the circulation core—corridors and staircases—which, research shows, are where 90% of social interactions occur. By clustering social spaces around these cores, the building encourages organic social contact. The result is a series of double-height communal spaces shared by clusters of 20 apartments, fostering a sense of ownership and community.
The building’s ground-floor plinth plays a crucial role in engaging both residents and the public, balancing openness with privacy. The concrete base, with transparent glass facades and inviting signage, merges seamlessly with the surrounding urban fabric while maintaining resident ownership of their space.
The unique “Butterfly” floor plan activates pathways to apartments, creating impromptu meeting spots in its nooks and corners. This layout, combined with the strategic placement of families and students at key points, encourages cross-demographic interactions, making The Orange Zone a vibrant and socially connected space for aging in place.
How has VisualARQ contributed to the project development?
‘VisualARQ was an integral plug in for the development of this project, from start all the way to finish. For the longest time, Rhino has been the perfect software for developing ideas due to its flexibility, intuitive workflow and parametric capabilities. However, in terms of executing architectural projects, the lack of BIM capabilities always left something to be desired. VisualARQ fills this gap perfectly with the provision of easily modifiable families and a toolkit for extracting key drawings such as sections and plans quickly and easily. amongst many other useful tools. In my case, VisualARQ was used to extensively to define the structural detailing of the timber tower and I used it to create my own family of timber walls, slabs and columns. This created a design that was easily modifiable and parametric, which saved me a lot of time as I developed the design both conceptually and technically. As well as this, you’re also able to create your own parametric BIM families, which was incredibly useful in creating the louvre’s that defined the southern facade.
However, the best tool that really brought the project to life was the section tool. The perspective section is often times the most daunting, yet most rewarding task for any architect. VisualARQ not only made it easier, but also gave me much more control over what I wanted to extract, thanks to the ‘Hidden’ display option that allows me to extract lines and vectors and place them within my editing software. The great thing about VisualARQ as well is that, it works fantastic with other software such as V-Ray and D5 Render, and therefore using the BIM software in conjunction with these created a seamless workflow for creating drawings that I never once thought I’d be capable of. Overall, I highly recommend VisualARQ to architects that use Rhino, to really activate the architectural capabilities of the software!’
Credits: Arno Decorte
