Cultivating Connections
Enhancing Social Cohesion and Biodiversity by Food Production in Zuidplein
R.R. Chhanai (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
M.J. Smit – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
P.L. Tomesen – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
N.M.J.D. Tillie – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
This graduation project examines how architecture can contribute to strengthening social cohesion and biodiversity in Zuidplein, Rotterdam, through the integration of communal food production into housing. The project departs from the observation that Zuidplein is characterized by strong ethnic diversity, but also by limited interaction between different social groups, a shortage of places that support prolonged stay, and a highly paved urban environment with fragmented ecological connections. In addition, the infrastructural barriers surrounding the area weaken both social and ecological continuity between the neighborhood and Zuiderpark.
In response, the project proposes a bridge-shaped residential building positioned above the existing infrastructure. The building is conceived as a socio-ecological connector that links neighborhood and park while combining dwelling, collective use, and environmental systems within one spatial framework. The design is organized around three interrelated mechanisms: food production, co-living, and circularity. Food production is approached as a socio-ecological catalyst that supports cultural exchange, affordability, and biodiversity. Co-living is used to stimulate repeated everyday encounters through shared routes and communal spaces, enabling social relations to develop over time. Circularity functions as a supporting system through the reuse of water, heat, energy, and materials, thereby reducing resource consumption and CO2 emissions.
The proposal includes 163 dwellings for a mixed community of students, starters, families, and seniors, organized in clusters around shared atriums, communal kitchens, and rooftop gardens. Public elements such as a market square, productive plinth, and accessible roof route connect the building to the wider urban context. Through this integration of housing, food systems, public space, and ecological infrastructure, the project demonstrates how social cohesion and biodiversity can be addressed as mutually reinforcing components of one architectural system.