Orchid City

Media Contact: office@except.nl

Website: www.orchidcity.eco

Except Integrated Sustainability, a pioneering consultancy in systemic sustainability, sustainable cities, and food production, announces the launch of Orchid City, the world’s first affordable self-sustaining city blueprint, a reinvention of the future of living.

Except will present Orchid City together with their partners via an online event on Thursday June 24th, 2021 at 16:00 (CET).

To download the press kit and high-resolution images, please download the Press Kit at the bottom of this page.

About Orchid City

“The world is looking for answers. Sustainability has become the most prevalent challenge in policy and business strategy. The time is ripe for visions that go beyond single-issue solutions, that address an essential change in the foundations of how we live, work, produce, play, and prosper. The best way we can achieve this is if we combine the benefits of a multitude of solutions in a holistic blueprint of a new way of living. We believe from 2020 onwards, the ingredients are ripe to start cooking this recipe. That is what this project is about. We developed a blueprint for a fully self-sustaining city, where all daily needs are met, including social, environmental, financial, and material. An open city, in full interaction with the rest of the world, yet that functions fundamentally differently. An inspiring place that offers a large part of our world population a perspective on a healthy, exciting, livable future.”
- Tom Bosschaert, Director of Except.

Orchid City aims for a sustainable society by developing highly efficient and self-sustained environments for people to live, work, produce, learn, and play. Orchid City is fully self-sufficient in food production, energy supply, job creation, social services, and education programs. It regenerates nature, our relationship with the natural environment, and with each other.

Food production is enabled by the integration of agroforestry, permaculture principles, field and greenhouse production. Orchid City communities are powered by ecosystem services for water purification, renewable energy, and the production of construction materials. The Orchid City landscape is biodiverse, and climate adaptive. Orchid City housing is aimed at a diverse and inclusive community with affordable, future-proof housing, combining villas, social housing, student housing and elderly care. Urban densities and rural living form clusters with quality living around water bodies that filter and clean water.

Orchid City supports mental and physical health, and meaningful employment through sustainable workplaces. It also offers financial support for startups and innovation, as well as workshop centers, community services, and cultural programs.

Orchid City’s feasibility has been modeled for locations in Brazil, the Netherlands, and Vietnam. These exemplify Orchid City’s adaptability to diverse landscapes, needs, and social and environmental challenges. Orchid City is applicable to different community sizes, climates, locations and cultures, and is scalable from a small neighborhood of 500 inhabitants to towns of 50,000+ inhabitants, from low to high tech outfits. Orchid City can scale to the availability of space, the ambition of the partners, and the local demand for sustainable developments.

An Orchid City for 15,000 inhabitants channels more than € 4.5 billion investment into regions for its development. A city of this size provides 7500 houses in various typologies, creates around 8400 sustainable jobs, plants 1.1 million trees, and achieves carbon neutrality and energy positive operations.

Except has completed the research, concept, and feasibility phases of the project and is now looking for locations, funding, and partners in investment, development, and suppliers to realize the first Orchid Cities around the world.