What
do you get when you combine used tires, construction debris,
concrete and skateboards?
Why,
the first Skateboarding Park in the District of
Columbia, of course!
As the Green Skate Laboratory
nears completion we would like to thank Teri and Chris Nostrand, Jaime Stapula,
Ben Ashwort, Andrew Neal and all those that put fourth their time and
dedication. The Green Skate Laboratory is simply an amazing story of
persistence and hard work.
All for the love of skateboarding.
 
What?
The
Green Skate Laboratory
will be a multi-purpose space for recreation, arts and
science. This is a multi-phase project that will emphasize
recycling, physics and environmental science in order to
create a skateboard recreation area for the Coolidge
Community. Integral to the design is the inclusion of areas
where students will be able to test and perform physics,
engineering and environmental science concepts and
experiments. The curved and rolling “landscaping” will be
made with environmentally sound building techniques and
composed entirely of reused and recycled materials. In
addition to the science lab and recreation potential for the
space, there will be large areas that will be dedicated to the
creation of tile mosaics and other visual arts.
Why?
Students and adults in the nation's capitol have no free,
legal place to skateboard. Estimates place skateboarding
popularity at an all time high as the sixth most popular sport
in the nation and third most popular in the 6 to 18 year old
age group. That's about 3.3 million skaters nationwide, or
more importantly nearly 700 skaters in the District alone with
no place to legally skate.
How? The construction techniques
necessary to build out of reused and recycled materials are
unique. The outside support walls are being constructed entirely
of used tires cleaned up from National Parks, abandoned lots and
the Potomac River Watershed. Students and other volunteers will
work to collect the tires from various clean-up days and other
initiatives. The tires are then rammed with fill from
construction sites, broken up bits of concrete or other clean
fill, and then stacked one on top of the other to create walls.
On the inside of the walls, more concrete pieces and fill form
the rough shape of the transitions to be skated. Rebar is then
laid in place and a fresh layer of concrete is poured to create
a smooth, flowing skating surface.
Where? The skate park is located in
Washington DC. Route 50 to South Dakota Ave. Left on Vista.
Right on 20thStreet. Bottom of the hill behind the rec center.
Please
Visit the Official Green Skate Laboratory Site for more
information
www.greenskatelab.org
Request for Assistance
No assistence needed... Its DONE !!!!!!
|
