This striking project on the northern edge of Mexico does many things. It's a safe public space; an open air venue for everybody, supporting social inclusion; a valuable destination for the wider area’s skateboarding community, promoting exercise and sports; and an eye-catching piece of skatepark architecture, defined by strong concrete volumes and colourful architecture. Welcome to the pink concrete La Duna Skatepark, created in Ciudad Juárez by a team composed of Francisco Elías of the Elías Group; Valia Wright Sánchez; Eduardo Peón Velázquez; the local university architecture faculty, Facultad de arquitectura de la UNAM; the federal government’s Ministry of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development; and architect and skater Edgar Rico.
The skatepark’s architectural landscape
The project's programme included a skating rink, an administration building and classrooms for workshops. Combining this multifunctional aspect with the region's natural setting, the architecture team drew inspiration from the nearby Samalayuca dunes to create the undulating, organic shapes of the skatepark’s architectural landscape.
‘The building was conceived as a cave through which the covered plaza and the skating rink are connected, through a portico that protects the service module, an office and three classrooms, which overlook the lake and can be used together with the square,' say the team.
A viewing platform on the upper level of the main building offers wide views of the cityscape and the horizon beyond. It also functions as a multipurpose space for events, and an observatory for the skating activities below. Made of colourful, light pink concrete, this example of skatepark architecture is a striking urban landmark, with its curves, slopes and planting, which will mature to provide shading and an important green element. The generous facilities can accomodate up to 5,000 guests.
‘The team, headed by landscape architects Valia Wright and Eduardo Peón and architect Francisco Elías, also included urban planners and sociologists,’ say the park’s creators. ‘Their main objective was to understand the dynamics of the relationship between the park, the local community and the existing urban environment, at the same time bringing in a bit of the natural context of the Chihuahuan Desert.’
-
Ferrari teams up with Montblanc for a high-performance fountain penThe Montblanc Ferrari Stilema SP3 is as sleek and rarefied as the company’s legendary sports cars. We spoke to Ferrari's Flavio Manzoni about the collaboration
-
Apartment interior design: outstanding spaces around the globe
Apartment interiors can be tricky to balance. Create a sense of space and get inspired by our global edit of architect-designed ideas. From minimalist mezzanines and lofts that bridge old and new, to sleek urban penthouses and dramatic transformations
-
Zegna’s ‘Triple Stitch’ sneaker captures the house’s 112 years of innovation
Zegna’s signature ‘Triple Stitch’ sneaker returns for S/S 2023, now available in luxurious fabrications – from grained leather to canvas and soft suede
-
The best gyms around the world for design buffs in 2018
-
Skate park design goes to the British seaside with Guy Hollaway’s F51
F51 is Folkestone's brand new, dedicated, multistorey skate park, courtesy of the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust and Hollaway Studio
-
Community centre architecture redefined: Holborn House by 6a and Caragh Thuring opens
Holborn House by 6a Architects and Caragh Thuring opens for the Holborn Community Association in London, bridging art and community architecture with people at its heart
-
Last chance to play: Yinka Ilori's colourful basketball court in Canary Wharf is a slam dunk
Artist and designer Yinka Ilori applied his signature colourful geometries to his design for this new public basketball court in Canary Wharf, London
-
Building muscle: London architecture walks and runs
Try these London architecture walks and runs for some physical and intellectual edification
-
Janne Tuunanen captures modernist architecture of renovated Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Photographer Janne Tuunanen captures the sharp modernist architecture of the recently renovated Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Finland in his latest series
-
Yinka Ilori’s colourful skatepark in France is a pillar of the community
Sport, street art and community merge in Yinka Ilori’s skatepark in Roubaix, project that is part of Lille’s World Capital of Design 2020
-
Blaque makes space for Black people in the fitness and wellness industry
Blaque founder T’Nisha Symone discusses the philosophy behind finding a gym designed to serve her local community
