Guy Hollaway Architects is looking to take skateparks to another level with the unveiling of plans for a new multi-story skatepark in Folkestone, UK. The architects believe it may be the first skatepark of its kind anywhere in the world, with plans for the building also including facilities for trial cycling, boxing and climbing.
Creating a skatepark across multiple levels provides the potential for a larger skateable area on the same footprint and opens up new possibilities through combining different floor heights. As the architects pointed out to us, however, trying to construct the required continuous flowing levels will be an "engineer's nightmare."
Nonetheless, the firm explains that, through adequate planning, the eventual result should be both an excellent urban sports center and architecturally impressive.
"When standing atop a bowl, you see the undulating curves below, but you never see the underside of a skate bowl; you're losing 50 percent of that beauty," says Ryan Shedden, Architectural Assistant at Guy Hollaway. "The project has been developed rigorously over the last nine months, through analysis, testing and many discussions."
The firm explains that the objective of the project is to provide a "major new indoor activity center that will be the finest of its kind in the region," and which young people in the area will be able to access at subsidized rates.
The 1,000 sq m (10,800 sq ft) development is part of ongoing regeneration in the creative quarter of Folkestone and has been funded by the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, which provides financial support to charities and community organizations.
A public consultation on the plans will take place this Friday and Saturday. If all goes to plan, construction is expected to begin in September this year with completed slated for 2016.
Source: Guy Hollaway Architects, Roger De Haan Charitable Trust
