This thesis examines Amsterdam’s Vondelpark through a historical and architectural lens, revealing a complex conflict between cultural preservation and environmental sustainability. Designed by Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher in the English Garden Style. They envisioned it as a romantic, picturesque retreat within the city. However, it has been proven that this design, based on aesthetics, is not compatible with Amsterdam’s geotechnical foundation.
Built on top of unstable peat soil without the common layer of applied sand, Vondelpark faces continuous subsidence, groundwater issues and high tree mortality. Chapter 1 delves into building on the geological foundations of Amsterdam, highlighting its challenges. Chapter 2 will explore the park’s origin and the historic characteristics of the design. Chapter 3 will focus on the ecological consequences for the trees: roots unable to grow, pruned trees, failed attempts to save what is left, and the reliance on artificial interventions to keep up the ‘natural’ image.
With growing evidence of this environmental mismatch, the park’s monumental status limits the chances of alterations. This leaves the result of a park caught between past and present. While celebrated for its natural beauty, it needs an increasing number of unnatural efforts to maintain that beauty. With the case of Vondelpark, this thesis highlights a broader dilemma in park design: how to accommodate historical preservation with ecological sustainability in a world that is changing. It argues that future urban landscapes must look further than a static image and embrace an ecologically integrated design.