Name: Androniki Charalambous
Track: Architecture
Studio: Veldacademie
Year: MSc 3/4 / 2025
Type: Graduation Project
Tutor: Wing Yung, Frank Schnater, Leo Oorschot
Description:
Loneliness is a pervasive “silent epidemic” in urban areas, especially affecting the elderly, single parents, and children. This thesis examines how playful, sensory-integrated living environments can reduce isolation, focusing on Pendrecht, a post-war Rotterdam Zuid neighborhood marked by social fragmentation. Drawing on Johan Huizinga’s Homo Ludens and Baubotanik’s tree-based architecture, the project reimagines housing units shared by an elderly resident and a single-parent family, featuring a joint entrance, kitchen, and living space to promote visibility and mutual care. Interaction nodes, including community kitchens and cafes, are organized along a linear axis to foster connection and counter extreme loneliness.