Bellamy Play-Pond

BELLAMY PLAY-POND/ J. MULDER

Following the paths of Van Eyck’s legacy, Jakoba Mulder, designed this Play-Pond in the 50’s. Also belonging to the Ministry of Public Works of Amsterdam in the same era of Van Eyck, she was one part of this emerging social movement which allowed the rich Playscape spaces of Amsterdam.

This example on the Bellamy square, shows how she imagined a square as a social waterplay tools for the neighbourhood. This open-air playpond, as she describes, allowed families to gather during hot summer freetimes and refresh. Not only it provided refreshment but also, as Van Eyck stated, a leisure space, a non-work space, in the city. The proximity and affordance of this non-fenced and local proposal, made this project extremely successful.

As it can be noticed, the design of such space is pretty minimal. The hardscape of the square is supplemented by a water feature – a pond, a fountain - but also some vegetation and benches. Those provide, as featured in Van Eyck’s work, the Existenzminimum for a successful surveillance but also for a social gathering of those families. The scale of the project also fits to the Lefebrevian vision of appropriation of the space and Right to the City mentality.

Fig. 22 - Plan of the Play-Pond (Source : Amsterdam City Archives)