Skating and Architecture

As part of my development for my final I'm aiming to make the 'skatepark' aspect of the site more bi-functional, after all skaters don't need a skate park to skate, they just need an area with interesting architecture and angles that they can work with and do tricks on. This got me researching the connection between architecture and and skating..

Research

Skateboarders are an increasingly common feature of the urban environment - recent estimates total 40 million world-wide. We are all aware of their often extraordinary talent and manoeuvres on the city streets.

"The board becomes an extension to the body, a prosthesis, which constructs a specific mode of movement and engagement. The city is transformed into a series of ramps, of slides and runs - a city of surfaces and textures." Borden describes the skater's passage across the city as a recomposition of urban and architectural elements.

Borden, Skateboarding, Space and the City: Architecture and the Body (New York: Berg, 2001)

A skater, unlike your typical pedestrian, experiences space just as intensely and consciously as an architect himself, albeit in a different way. He/she is alive to the possibility of space, not in its totality, as an architect would be, but as a collection of tactile surfaces to be jumped on, grinded, and conquered.

The skater offers a revolutionary perspective for the architect: one that allows you to see  buildings beyond what they were intended to be, to see (and design) buildings as “building blocks for the open minded.”

“An ambler sees a bench and sits on it? Exactly what the architect and designer intended. A skateboarder sees a bench and contemplates. How many different ways can I engage the form of this bench with my wooden board, metal trucks and four rubber wheels?”

http://www.archdaily.com/246526/why-skateboarding-matters-to-architecture/

Here's an interesting video I found which shows a skater skating in his home streets, using parts of the city architecture to to grind, ollie, kickflip and just generally skate. 

Examples of skaters using the city architecture as 'equipment' to do tricks on: 

Relating research to my idea: 

Keeping in mind the idea of using the architecture and objects that are already around the site to skate on, I started brainstorming ideas on how to provide a site that is made for one purpose (boatshed) but can still be used for another (skateboarding). 

Architecture

-Roof

-Stairs

-Railing

-Bench

-Fence

Objects

-Boat fin

-Rubbish bin

-Boat shed tools

-Boat oar

Some examples of objects/textures I could incorporate into my site which could be of use to both boatshed owners and skaters.

Developing Final Idea: Meeting Between Smooth and Rough

After debriefing with Meg and Ollie on my chosen meeting idea I decided to use more than just one aspect of 'smooth and rough' within my site. The idea of smooth and rough textures meeting is one component, and the other is the more abstract idea of 'smooth' and 'rough' people clashing. The skating culture is not just about going to the local skate park provided with ramps, rails, bowls and whatnot, but its about seeing a piece of architecture and using it for something other than what it was intended for. Skating since the beginning was viewed as a rebellious act and during its invention it was seen as vandalism and damage to the city streets. Skating was popular in the more 'rough' parts of LA and the rest of the world, whereas the 'smooth' preppy youths stuck to sailing, boating and other 'high-class' activities.

This is where my clash of smooth and rough people comes in - the boat sheds will remain just that, a boat shed. They will have clean smooth surfaces, decorated with pastels and whites and the interior will be neatly organised with stacked shelving and taken care of by a proud and well groomed owner, one who is rich enough to own a boat and could possibly fall into the 'preppy' category. A smooth sailor.

From the roof of the sheds upward, will be a stark contrast - darker colours will be used as well as graffiti, the area will be cluttered and messy with rough bumpy textures and dents and marks everywhere due to skaters thrashing the site. It will be a popular spot for skaters - dressed in baggy clothing, chunky skate shoes and messy hair, who will thrive off annoying the preppy boat shed owners. 

Below I printed my first skate park plans on SketchUp, and took notes on things I would change and things I would get rid of. My main priority is not to provide the skaters with pre-existing skate equipment such as ramps, rails, bowls etc, but instead provide things that were intended for something else, but they can still use it for skating and tricks.

Alternative Responses

My meeting is between smooth and rough - this is a development from my skate park experience in which smooth skin meets rough concrete on a daily basis. A skatepark is a place of adrenalin and adventure as well as the home of many painful accidents, cuts, bruises, bumps and bleeds. Here is an experience/journey map developing further insight into my idea: 

Brainstorming 5 alternate responses to the meeting between smooth and rough. First I brainstormed different textures, materials and surfaces that remind of both 'smooth' and 'rough'. Then with these in mind I thought of five alternative responses to the meeting between smooth and rough. 

Skate Park Boat Shed Drawing

Sketch Up Video:

I added sound effects from the wheels of a skateboard skating against the ground; this adds more dimension to the video and gives a better understanding of what the skatepark experience is about.

Sketch Up Screenshots: 

My site before adding texture, colours, and details

My site after adding colour, texture, and finer details such as shadows and people

Experimenting with different styles on Sketch up

Collage and Drawings: 

Drawing my site, elevation and section plans and incorporating mixed media collage into it; collaging colours/textures from magazines to create a graffiti wall on the back wall of each boat shed, and also putting each plan into perspective by adding a real 'skater' to the skatepark. 

Collage: 

I researched more into skate parks and skate culture by looking at magazines and using images, textures, and words and turning them into collages. I collected images that relate to skating - such as skaters, skateboards, ramps and bowls, skate brand logos, graffiti art, wall textures, and skate apparel. 

These images relate to skateparks, tricks, and locations.

These images are textures and colours that would collage together well to create the effect of a graffiti wall. 

Magazine with skate material 

Magazines and pages I collected to create collage

Developing My Idea

After researching into skateparks and the skate culture I realised that when creating this meeting of a skatepark, it provides a lot more than simply just a place to skate. Skateboarders gather together for the experience, the excitement, the adrenaline and to have fun. After asking some of my friends who are passionate skateboarders I noted down some of the main things that are enjoyed in the 'skating experience' and what I will need to provide in my space to cater for these needs. 

• Excitement - what new lines you're gonna do, sound of the wheels on the concrete Provide: smooth nice concrete for the skaters to skate on

• Adrenaline - work on new lines, new skills, and new tricks Provide: plenty of challenging ramps, rails, stairs, pipes, anything skateboarders can work on to improve their tricks and get a good adrenalin rush.

• Social Aspect - catch up with friends, hang out Provide: Hangout spots, some benches, tables, patches of grass. 

• Develop new skills/show them off - being good at something, being able to impress other skaters Provide: Good lighting so tricks can be seen during night skates as well

• Good vibes - sound of pumping music Provide: Sufficient outdoor speakers 

• Clean spot - clutter free skate zones Provide: Rubbish bins to keep the area skateable

Not everyone who goes to a skate park is a pro skater, so for the not so keen skateboarders I want to provide them with means of entertainment as well

• Legal graffiti walls - for the artistic youths, this is a great way to keep them entertained as well as a cool decoration for the skate park 
• Skate pool - high tide the skate bowl can turn into a swimming pool, skaters can skate and swim on a hot day and everyone else can join in for a swim. The bowl will have a drain in it to drain out the excess water when the tide is low again. 

Meeting: Skatepark

A place for enthusiastic skaters and the likes to come hang out, go for skate, sit down, listen to music and just generally have a good time. 

Research

Skateboarding was invented in the 1950's, by a group of Californian surfers who thought of the idea to 'surf the concrete'. Throughout the decades, skating had its ups and downs but during the 80's and 90's skateboarders became so passionate about the progression of the sport they began building ramps in their back yards and going 'pool surfing'. The invention of the VHS in the 80's also played a major role in the progression of the skate culture, where major skateboarders started recording their moves and tricks which then went viral to kids all over the world. 

The first of many skateparks opened in Arizona late 1965, kitted with concrete ramps on an open lot, it fuelled the burning passion which the huge skate culture had for the sport. Skateparks have since then been opened in all shape form and size, indoor, outdoor, with concrete, wood, metal, with lighting with speakers, and many other things. The world largest skate park currently is in Shanghai. 

Heres a short video that shows a glimpse of the affect the skate culture had on the youth of America and the westernised world. 

Some inspiration of the themes, colours, moods and objects that might be involved in my skating experience.

Graffiti art commonly plastered the bowls ramps and walls of skate parks, as well as skate stickers of famous skate brands and gears. 

Material

I wanted to choose a material that could help depict the true 'beach' vibe, the texture of the sand, the foaminess of the ocean. So I played around with a couple of ideas, my first is foam. I cut it and painted it to portray the foam of the ocean... 

Another material I played around with is soap, this was also used to recreate the foaminess of the ocean which would naturally surround a beach bar.