There are many uses for concrete in our world. Look around you where ever you are you will undoubtedly see concrete. It is a structural necessity in most of the industrial world. From buildings to roads, highways and infrastructure concrete brings us all together. Another facet concrete can provide in bringing communities together is designing and producing a skatepark in your area.

Concrete skateparks are the standard in the industry. Previously, skaters would find an empty concrete swimming pool and try to skate it, this eventually led to wooden skate ramps and ‘tubes’ which had a better geometric design but led to wood splintering, and easy breakage. The logical next step undoubtedly was to design and develop a concrete skate park with half-pipes, vertical ramps, quarter pipes, handrails, stairs etc. The concrete as a material requires less repairs and little to no maintenance and is far more suitable to skateboarding. Skateparks are popping up in communities and countries around the world. Worldwide, China is boasting the largest skatepark in the world; India is working on their own models. Here in North America, communities are opening their minds to the idea that skateparks have physical and psychological benefits to the individual as well as the community.

Building a skatepark made of concrete is a specialized, highly intensive endeavor. This is especially an area where an expert is needed, designers, structural engineers and contractors. You will be building a large concrete form specifically designed and engineered for the sport of skateboarding so having a well informed skateboard consultant will definitely help too. Concrete skateparks do cost money, approximately $20-25 (US) per square foot. This price will include design fees, construction material and labor. Don’t forget the other necessities though; power and water need to be brought to the site, as well as lighting, fencing, bathrooms and landscaping. As you can see there are a lot of costs to the construction of a concrete skatepark, but its still far less than building a new athletic facility, with more buzz too.

Concrete gives an attractive, smooth and easily maintained surface for skateboarding which makes concrete parks safer than other options. It is a huge job to erect a skatepark so it’s best to start small and split the construction into smaller components. Keeping control of the amount of poured concrete will save time and money in the long run. The construction will include 4000 psi concrete to a minimum depth of four inches. This will be poured over 4 inches of compacted gravel. For structural support, a number 3 rebar (3/8 inch) placed in 12 inch increments is best. This will provide an extra strong surface which will be stronger than most driveways and keep cracking to a minimum. Keep in mind, small hairline cracks in the concrete will not affect the smooth ride of the wheels of a skateboard.

The showpieces of any skatepark are the bowls and transitional elements such as snake runs. These designs are very complex and physically demanding to build, but well worth the effort to its success. This is an area where a professional will be of value. Every step in this process must be fully understood and done to perfection to get the best results. All the attention to detail in the beginning of your skatepark design and construction such as grinding high spots and patching cannot be changed later on in the construction. Quality will be determined by the attention to detail through out the construction.

Building a public skatepark in your area will undoubtedly bring the community together with the skaters. They are all included in the building process such as organizing, fundraising and design. Concrete skateparks involve the skaters and community and draws all into every civic process and cements their ties to the community. Bring a skatepark to your neighborhood and you will bring all ages of the community together.

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Category: Recreation
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