Aldo van Eyck Playgrounds

Princeton

This undergraduate thesis examined Aldo van Eyck’s 700 Amsterdam playgrounds as an architectural framework shaped around childhood in a post-war city. It explored how form, movement, and objects define these spaces, positioning the child as an active inhabitant of the city. Through analysis of spatial compositions, transient patterns of play, and the agency of simple objects, the work argued that Van Eyck’s playgrounds reveal play itself as a critical strategy in architectural planning.

Fig 1: Printed book copy Fig 2: ft. in Princeton Workbook

Fig 3: Page spreads, 100+ pages

Fig 4: Thesis spread, proof test

Fig 5: Chapter on 'Object' as a play device

Fig 6: Piaget's postulation of play

Fig 7: Blackboard presentation for thesis defense

Fig 8: Spread in Princeton Workbook