The first skateparks emerged during the 1970s skate-boom and emulated backyard swimming pools that were being used by “thrashers” to perfect their art. Flowing designs and steep transitions allowed boarders to carve quickly in and out of ramps, “surfing the concrete wave.” Traditional obstacles such as bowls, snake runs and half-pipes were the idiom of the pool-skating era. As the sport shifted to a modern, trick-heavy style, smaller, more technical skate elements were developed.

While park design has adapted to accommodate new types of skateboarding, construction techniques have remained fairly consistent until just recently. Skateparks are typically built in the following manner: First, earth is excavated and compacted into the park’s rough shape. Next, a layer of sand or gravel substrate is added and rebar is laid over the surface. Finally, concrete or steel coping is installed on ramp edges prior to the application of shotcrete (concrete projected through a nozzle on a pressurized hose). Following placement, the concrete is hand-troweled to a smooth finish.

Seattle Center Skatepark, called “SeaSk8” for short, differentiates itself from traditional parks in both design and construction. Located on top of an existing roof, which houses mechanical and kitchen equipment for the Key Arena beneath, the park is built entirely above ground with no excavated features. Instead, it is designed as a “street course” that includes stairs, rails and banks. Sections of green wall, translucent glass ramps and an artistic fence increase the park’s visual interest as seen from a covered viewing area.

Using foam (polystyrene) for skatepark construction offers many advantages. Unlike dirt, it is dense and requires no compacting. Furthermore, the material doesn’t retain water or settle, which helps reduce the chances of cracking in the four-inch concrete topping slab. Hundreds of foam pieces can be easily stacked and cut into any desired shape. In Seattle Center’s case, the material is an ideal alternative to dirt backfill because it is lightweight and minimizes the load on the existing structure below.

Advances in skatepark design and construction in the Northwest parallel international trends. Carve, an innovative designer of urban public spaces in the Netherlands, has been using three-dimensional computer models and foam construction approaches since 2005. This has allowed them to realize seemingly impossible dreamscapes sculpted to perfection, such as A8erna located just outside Amsterdam. Foam has also been used exclusively in skateparks throughout Sweden, including the infamous ActionPark in Gothenburg.

With over 28,000 skateboarders in Seattle today, the new district park fills an intercity niche in Seattle’s City Wide Skatepark Plan. It becomes the latest addition to the area’s two existing parks: the 4,200 square foot Ballard Commons Park and the 17,000 square foot Lower Woodland Park. By involving the skateboard community and a variety of stakeholders in the design process, the park illustrates the beauty of collaboratively realized public space. Through an integration of old and new, public and private, form and function, the new SeaSk8 represents the future wave of skateable space.