Ten Quick Rules for Design

1.     Simplicity

2.     Smoothness of Surface

3.     No Kinks

4.     Flatbotttom

5.     No Overcrowding

6.     Pushing Room

7.     No Ledges Over Your Bellybutton

8.     Edges that Grind

9.     Pump-able Hips

10.   Lights

More Design Basics
 

1.      Flatbottom

Any skatepark design must have a minimum of ten feet of flatbottom between obstacles and opposing transition. Skateboarders generate speed by pumping up and down transitions and can carry speed for good distances across flat, smooth concrete. Maximum flatbottom allows more skateboarders to skate simultaneously and avoid collisions. Recovery from the last trick and set-up for the next is made easier when one can adjust stance or line across the flat. No design should have two opposing walls where a skater can fall from one wall and slam into another. Not being able to roll or run out of a bail can mean the difference between a scraped elbow and a trip to the hospital.

2.      Transition

Transition between flatbottom and inclined surfaces can be accomplished in either of two designs: round with a perfect radius curve like a swimming pool, or banked with a tighter transition curve to a flat bevel like a modified drainage ditch. Height of the wall to the top of the lip may determine the measure of these transitions, but the angle should be no more than 50 degrees. A small, round transition wall, no more that four feet high would be skateable with a 5-7 foot round radius, while a taller,  transitional wall would call for a larger radius of 6-9 feet.

3.      Lips, Edges and Coping

The edges of any wall, bank or skateable pool must be hard and grindable. Skaters are looking for something to grind or slide on when they get to the top of a wall. You can’t be on the edge if there is no edge. A slightly protruding edge allows a skater to know exactly where they’re by feel. A round metal coping edge (minimum two inches in diameter, steel pipe) that sticks out slightly, grinds well and protects the cement from wear. A big, round edge at the top of a wall or bank is useless and considered boring to skate after only a short period.

4.      Curbs, Blocks, Steps and Walls

Everyday street elements such as these can and should be included in modern skatepark design. Curbs, blocks and steps function best in a park situation when used judiciously in combination with other elements. Such as a curb at the top of a banked wall. Another idea is to create a street area away from any bowls or banks, or incorporate blocks or steps into the surrounding boundary landscaping of the park on which skaters can either sit or skate.