Indoor halls
Skate halls and indoor parks
We design and build skate halls of all sizes. For indoor parks we make modular elements, so the park can be changed each year without dismantling everything. This keeps the hall interesting year after year.
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Skateboarding
Skate parks, skate ramps, and scooter and BMX parks for municipalities
We design and build skate parks, skatepark sites and local sports facilities for skateboarding for municipalities. We first establish together with young people what is wanted for the site, and turn that into a plan that can be used to justify, budget and tender the project. The design of skate parks and timber structures is Playground Solutions’ core expertise.
For municipalities: from design to a finished park
- Needs assessment and participatory designTogether with young people and residents, we establish what the site needs and how much it will cost.
- Reference planVisualisations, dimensions and a cost estimate for the project plan and the tender.
- Timber skate parks indoorsModular parks for halls, youth spaces and other indoor facilities.
- Skate ramps and parks outdoorsFinished ramps and complete outdoor parks.
- Main contract or KVRDesign and construction from the same provider.
Participatory design with skateboarders
- ListeningDrawings from schoolchildren, enthusiasts’ own plans, and discussion online and on WhatsApp.
- WorkshopDrafts brought on site to be commented on.
- PlanThe wishes are visible in the final plan and the tender documents.
Suosiolantie 5, Rovaniemi · youth services
A modular skate park of about 370 m² for a space of about 670 m².
60+drawings from pupils in grades 4–6
10+plans of their own from enthusiasts
30+skateboarders in the discussion
500+WhatsApp messages
Design and build, main contract or KVR.
Frequently asked questions
How does participatory design work in a skate park?
We arrange workshops for local skateboarders and scooter riders, where wishes are recorded and drafts are commented on. The final plan is based on them.
Can design and construction be purchased from the same provider?
Yes. We can provide design alone as tender documents, or the full delivery: design and build, main contract or KVR.
Does the park also work for scooters and BMX?
Yes. We design skate parks, skate ramps and scooter and BMX parks so that the sports work in the same place.
We design concrete and asphalt sites; the client puts the construction out to tender.
Participatory construction and finishing
A skate ramp in the village barn, built together with the villagers
- Site visitWe visited the village hall, and a place for the ramp was found in the barn next to it.
- ConstructionThe ramp was built together with the village’s families and young people.
- FinishingA graffiti workshop for the village’s young people.
Narkaus-Kämän kylät ry
The village’s young people wanted a skate ramp where they could skateboard and scooter. We went to see the village hall and its surroundings, and the barn next to it turned out to be an idyllic place for the ramp.
The space was challenging, but the ramp was built together with local people, and families and young people took part in the work.
The result was crowned by a graffiti workshop arranged for the young people, whose handiwork can be seen in the fine Narkaus graffiti.
“Working with Playground went smoothly and in a spirit of good cooperation. It was great that the villagers, and especially the young people, got to take part in the work.”
Concrete parks
Concrete skate parks with young people
We design concrete skate parks as permanent outdoor venues, and young people take part in the design. We design indoor halls in the same way. The tender documents define the dimensions, shapes and quality level so precisely that bids from different contractors are based on the same plan.
Small sites
Small skate spots and individual ramps
For municipalities and villages we also make small skate parks outdoors and indoors, as well as individual ramps. Timber structures can later be moved, extended or changed without heavy demolition, and a wooden surface lowers the threshold for starting the sport.
Stage 1
Assessment
Together with the client we go through the site, user groups, existing venues and the constraints. We establish which sports are practised in the municipality and what the site is missing. This is the content of a needs assessment for a skate park or local sports facility.
Stage 2
Participation and creative work
Young people, enthusiasts, clubs and the youth council are brought in while the content can still be influenced. Wishes are gathered as drawings, as people’s own plans, online and at an event held on site. At the same time, ideas are collected for the look of the place and for the art.
Stage 3
Reference plan: structures and art together
We compile the wishes into a reference plan in which the rideable structures, street art and the visual character of the place are designed as one whole. The client receives visualisations, a preliminary cost estimate and a documented account of the young people’s wishes to support decision-making and grant applications.
Read more about the reference plan and participatory design
Stage 4
Implementation
For concrete parks we produce the design, structural and section documents that go into the tender, and construction is put out to tender. Timber ramps and elements we can design and build ourselves. We take on design-and-build contracts and are glad to join main contracts and KVR contracts.
References
Skate park design and deliveries across Finland
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
Suosiolantie 5, Rovaniemi
Designed for Rovaniemi youth services, a modular skate park of about 370 m² for a space of about 670 m², for skateboarding, scootering and BMX. More than 60 schoolchildren took part in the design with their drawings, more than 10 adult enthusiasts with their own plans, and more than 30 active skateboarders.
Read how Suosiolantie was designed together with young people
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
Kemijärvi skate park
Playground carried out the design of the Kemijärvi skate park as a participatory workshop together with local enthusiasts. Users’ views were combined into a buildable plan, so the park’s riding lines, shapes and difficulty levels are based on local need.
Playground produced visualisations and the structural and section documents for the city for the construction tender.
Tuusula Skatepark
Design of a concrete skate park
Playground prepared several alternative plans for Tuusula, with styles ranging from a street-oriented skate park to a bowl layout.
The design took into account different user levels and how the sport develops. Through the dimensions of the obstacles and the riding lines, the skate park was designed to be approachable for beginners while remaining varied enough for active enthusiasts.
Rovaniemi – Kairatie reference design
A varied environment for wheeled sports
Playground prepared a reference plan for the City of Rovaniemi to show that the Kairatie area is suitable as a varied venue for wheeled sports. Alongside skateboarding and other wheeled sports, other activities such as street basketball were also planned for the area.
Playground also designed an indoor environment for wheeled sports. Active members of Rovaniemen Nuoret Rullalautailijat ry were involved in the design so that the spaces would meet the real needs of local users.
The city received a feasible plan, a cost estimate and visualisations for further design.
Timber skate parks, ramps and graffiti
Long-lasting and adaptable venues
Playground has delivered timber skate parks to several Duudsonit Activity Park venues and designed and delivered the Espoo park in its entirety. The structures serve tens of thousands of users each year, from beginners to active enthusiasts. Large graffiti works have also been made in the parks as part of the whole.
Timber skate parks and individual ramps built by Playground can be found across Finland. The oldest structures have already been in use for more than 20 years and still serve enthusiasts.
The long service life is based on the right choice of structure and materials and on planned maintenance. With Playground’s maintenance programme, the service life of a timber skate venue can be extended for decades.
Maintenance
Maintenance is agreed in advance
The plan records what the place needs during use: inspections, repairs, winter use and the rules for the street-art wall.
Skating and other sports
Several sports work in the same place when it is designed for that.
The main sport of a skate park is skateboarding, but scootering, BMX riding and inline skating use the same formal language. A well-designed skate park suits all of them when the speeds, riding directions and skill levels of the sports are taken into account: we separate the beginners’ area from the more demanding parts and dimension the obstacles for both boards and bikes. A place that serves several sports and age groups is also easier for the client to justify than a course for a single sport.
Skateboarding is a culture and a completely ordinary, modern form of physical activity that develops coordination and balance to an exceptional degree. As training it is comparable to a running session, but it is considerably more demanding and at the same time develops motor skills and movement patterns.
Street art
Graffiti and wall paintings
Street art – graffiti and wall paintings – belongs to the same culture as skateboarding. That is why we design the art as part of the place already in the reference plan, not as something to be added afterwards.
For a municipality this can mean, for example, a legal graffiti wall next to the skate spot, a work planned together with young people on the surfaces of the structures, or a space that takes its appearance from local makers. In many municipalities a legal graffiti wall has been placed next to the skate park or pumptrack.
Municipalities’ experience is that street art done legally and with care is respected. The effect on vandalism is not automatic, however: it depends on the location, on clear rules and on the place being maintained. These matters are agreed in the plan.
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