This 'Why Skateparks?' documentary explores the benefits of having a skatepark in your local community, why user-led consultation is so important and why free-form concrete construstion is the only way to build the next generation of skateparks in the UK.
Watch it here
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STEFAN HAUSER INTERVIEW
Stefan Hauser Interview at Cantelowes Skatepark, Camden, London.
Stefan Hauser, CEO of Placed to Ride Inc. the skatepark designer and builder responsible for Malmo Skatepark in Sweden as well as countless others across the US and Europe came to the UK to work with Wheelscape on Old Meldrum Skatepark in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Stefan is a world-class skatepark designer and builder, constructing world-class facilities across the globe. Malmo Skatepark is one of the homes to Quiksilver Bowl Riders Comp along with Cantelowes Skatepark in Camden, London. We showed him around Cantelowes Skatepark and asked him a few questions on what he thought of working with Wheelscape, UK skateparks and why skateparks are a good idea.
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The official Hereford Skatepark opening
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OUR MISSION
To build a skatepark near you, for you. You can help persuade your council to improve the UK skatepark scene. With the participation of local skate and BMX communities, Wheelscape can make this happen: we specialise in bespoke progressive skatepark design, user-led consultation and free-form in situ skatepark construction. Read more about us
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"I think Council’s should fund skatepark because they get used a lot! They get more use than pretty much any other public facility you’ll find. They get good use, they’re self maintaining, it’s just a good form of self expression as well as physical activity"
Stefan Hauser, World-Class Designer and Builder, Placed To Ride Inc.
"Look at the finish on that! exclaims Matt Elms, crouching to run his finger along a paper-smooth block of solid concrete with a gleaming stainless-steel edge."
Building, Online Magazine 2007
"I started working with Wheelscape, they’re great lads, really hard workers, reeeally dedicated. You know, I haven’t found more dedicated builders. I’m really impressed, I wish I had guys like them working with me as a local crew on my projects in Sweden. I haven’t been lucky enough at all to have people like they have at Wheelscape."
Stefan Hauser, Placed to Ride Inc.
"A marked drop of 34.9% in levels of youth disorder was recorded in Beat 6, where the skatepark is located, since 2002-2006. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a code of honour among those who attend the skatepark. This encourages youths to behave appropriately for fear of spoiling it for others"
Strathclyde Police Report.
"We haven't had yet one call from a resident of Dawlish complaining about skateboarding, this means the workload over any given weekend has been cut by 30%."
Gary Cairns, Police Community Support Officer, Dawlish
"It’s not something that’s interesting for one week, one month, two years, but for 10 years, it’s something that 10 years, twenty years from now people will still be interested in and the new users as well as the old users will find enjoyment and new ideas and creative lines"
Stefan Hauser, World-Class Designer and Builder, Placed To Ride Inc.
"Cantelowes skate park is brilliant. It reflects the best in skate park design, it has a world class bowl and is already attracting international skateboarding competitions. I’ll be skating here a lot."
David Carlin, UK Skateboarding Association
"Thanks to the Cantelocals, Camden has a truly fantastic new facility for young people. I know they were really looking forward to the opening and being able to develop activities in the park, such as competitions and training for beginners to experts."
Flick Rea, Executive Member for Culture
"The Group was very impressed by the professional and friendly way that Wheelscape supported us through
the whole process while delivering the park on time and on budget with
the minimum of fuss."
Dave Wilkinson, Oldmeldrum Project Manager
"This is fantastic news for Cantelocals. Not only will 1500 locals use the facility, but there will be coaching and training for those who want to start and stay in skateboarding, and international jams taking place. The skate park breaks down barriers to participation and we hope that it will help create a more active community."
Roger Lewis, Assistant Investment Manager, Sport England
"Meldrum Skatepark Group is delighted with the finished skatepark and young people are coming fromnear and far to use it. Everyone so far has been very positive about the design and finish quality of the park."
Dave Wilkinson, Oldmeldrum Project Manager
"You’re going to find in Europe, where you’ve found in Australia and you’re seeing in the US is that skateparks are just going to be planned into the master plan of any new or existing remodel of a park because they’re just the same as a football field or a restroom or a playground. It’s a feature that should be planned into the landscape of the park."
Stefan Hauser, World-Class Designer and Builder, Placed To Ride Inc.
"With pre-cast, every piece has to be casted and mould, it’s heavily engineered, it’s a lot more concrete so in that way it’s less environmentally friendly because you use about three times the amount of concrete. So that’s cost and an environmental impact and you’re having a limited design."
Jeremy Donaldson, Professional Skatepark Designer and Architect
"We worked with Wheelscape very closely on the design and build of the skate feature, ensuring that it’s integrated and sits within the landscape and that’s exactly what it does, it’s one organic space."
Adam White, Landscape Architect
"It’s important for kids to have these spaces where they can go and have to learn life skills and how to behave responsibly in an uncontrolled mutual environment. That teaches young people a lot as well as obviously it keeps them healthy, they’re outdoors and they get to learn new talents."
Bryce Campbell, Skateboarder and Youth Worker
"We think skateparks are really important, they provide a vital facility or resource for young, youth age groups often in areas which are very densely populated where perhaps there isn’t a high provision of facilities or open spaces."
Dan Taylor, Southwark Councilor
"Skateparks are an integral part of our scene, without them kids aren’t going to have anywhere to practice safely, to skate, BMX, rollerblade, anything. It’s a good place to be. It gets kids off the streets, it gets kids on the streets but in a good way."
Rodney Clarke, Professional Skateboarder and Youth Worker
"Skateparks are not just a skate facility, they are a social space. You’ve got to look at them in the same way you might look at providing tennis courts or football pitches. They’re a sports recreation space and that’s what’s really key, it’s not just about the facility, it’s about bringing the young and the old together."
Adam White, Landscape Architect
"So many times they’ve built skatepark in the UK where they’ve consulted nobody. It’s important that the user-group, whoever have actual consultation in the actual design, building and seeing it through to make sure that the skatepark is actually built correctly."
Rodney Clarke, Professional Skateboarder and Youth Worker
"Those projects that are still lasting now is because there’s quality design involved in it. That design process needs to be an engaged design process, getting the young people, the old people, everybody involved in the design, right from day one. Then at the end of the project it’s their project."
Adam White, Landscape Architect
"This provides them with a space or a real hub where they can go and exercise, they can go and work with others, join youth groups and so on and so fourth. So it’s providing that wider mix that can create great communities."
Dan Taylor, Southwark Councilor
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