Cologne Kalk, Indoor Skatepark

AbenteuerHallenKalk is a youth facility run by Jugendzentren Köln gGmbH. The facility specializes in urban movement cultures such as climbing, artistry, dirt and trail. The skatepark in Halle59 has been an integral part of the facility for almost 20 years. It covers the areas of skateboarding, BMX, inline skating, stunt scooters and WCMX and has established itself as a fixed meeting place for many different users. As a result, especially in the winter months, there was often a strong utilization of the spatial capacity and beyond. Thus, LNDSKT was commissioned to develop a concept for the redesign and expansion of the skate area.

The large number of user groups, some of whom had completely different needs, ideas and wishes, presented a very special challenge in the planning of the reconstruction. In a multi-stage process, the youth and young adults were significantly involved in the planning from the preliminary design to the completion. In order to manage congestion during the winter months, we first developed a qualitative area concept based on travel speeds. The orientation of the design was not solely based on the quantitative proportion of user groups, but primarily on the following three qualitative characteristics of movement practices: (1) historical continuity, (2) cultural relevance, and (3) average level of active engagement.

When choosing the construction method, there is always a dilemma when (re)planning a skate hall: while the concrete construction method offers great qualitative advantages, the wooden construction method scores in terms of flexibility. Wooden construction is not recommended for outdoor skateparks, but is a legitimate option indoors due to the lack of weather aspects, even if at the expense of quality.

With a hybrid approach, Halle59’s skatepark design merges the construction methods and the advantages of both complement each other. Thus, elements made of poured-in-place concrete in the street area form a fixed infrastructure according to the multi-line concept. This is complemented by a variety of particularly high-quality mobile features, which together offer an almost endless spectrum of line and combination possibilities. This is to the advantage of all skatepark users at every skill level. Separately, the jumpline is made entirely of wood and the beginner-friendly bowl is built entirely of concrete.

The street part is not only an offer for skateboarding, bike/BMX, stunt scooter and inline skating, but also includes a use for WCMX (wheelchair skating) in the sense of inclusive participation. In addition to barrier-free access to the recreation and spectator areas of the facility, WCMX-compatible ramps lead to the starting points / tables. This way, WCMX skaters can get up from the ground level under their own power to start together with all other users in the street skatepark.