Aldo Van Eyck: Intergenerational City

“Functionalism has killed creativity” -Aldo van Eyck. In order to create an Intergenerational City, structures on a landscape have to be easily access and manipulate by different ages. The work of historical playground designers such as Aldo van Eyck and Isamu Noguchi are geometrical and in certain designs abstract, as there is no sole purpose for the structures, the structures can be in use for different ages. Hence the work of historical playground designers can indirectly inform the intergenerational city. Before analyzing why the historic playground designers would help establish intergenerational city, the flaws that current playgrounds have is crucial. According to playgroundguru.org, playgrounds are often in contrast of the definition of play. For example, playgrounds are commonly known as fixed structure where as play involves in movement; playgrounds are commonly concerned about safety, where as risk has to be taken in play, etc. This shows that the current playground design is completely the opposite of what play should be. There are even limits in age of access to playgrounds. Hence, in an Intergenerational city, the current playgrounds are not suitable. To be able to

This separates the differences between playground nowadays, let alone the fixed usage of modern playgrounds. Eyck uses simple shapes to create his installations. Even though the materials are simple, the outcome is fascinating. One of the examples is an orphanage he designed; he uses the sunlight going through a pink-tinted glass onto the surface of a pool, which reflects to the underside of the loggia. This shows that his focus on designing is to “make things interesting”. Applying this to designing Intergenerational City, assuming there are elderly with mobile issues that cannot directly interact with the structures, these visual effects can also accommodate