Eugene, Oregon skatepark designs
October 10th, 2009 by kilwag
Three Dreamland design concepts have been unveiled for the newest Eugene, Oregon skatepark. One looks pretty straightforward, while the other two have unusual elements either in the park design or some strange sculptural elements. I’m not sure what’s going on there with the giant duck and the prehistoric swimming dinosaur. A dino-duck? College mascot homage? The intersting thing is that most of the square footage is covered by a bridge. You can find some background information, download some pdf’s of the layouts and take a survey on the designs at Downtown Eugene KVAL. If you just want to see the designs then stick around after the jump. I’ve also doctored up some overlays that do a better job of showing you what part is covered.
Click to enlarge the renderings.
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
October 10th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Just duck in under the bridge.
October 10th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
I’m liking the look of the “star bowl” in option 1. Kind of a perpetual snake run, but smaller footprint. The rendering has a weird sort of inside-out feel, but I’d like to see that built somewhere. Big fun.
October 10th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
I want Option 3 with the awesome pool ..
tomorrow…….
October 10th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
i like option 3 too, adding some flat-bars someplace would help it out
October 10th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
My .02: I like the addition of sculpture into skateparks to evolve the utilitarian aspect of 21 century 1.0 skateparks. But I’d prefer the sculptural elements themselves be more traditionally skateable. One solution for Dreamland, et al. would be to do more abstract stuff that would be objectively defined as “art” as much “skate terrain.” Gaudi-type surrealism (and Barcelona, more generally) come to mind. Closer to home, New Line’s magic carpet in the Winnipeg skatepark.
Some of us get nervous when the infusion of aesthetics, or overt contributions to art, are added into the skatepark concept. Dollars and footprint are always thin and if the terrain doesn’t produce and sustain great sessions, it’s wasted money – not to mention angst for the handful of locals that invariably put in years of blood, sweat and beers to get it done. I agree with that; the skatepark’s functionality must come first.
An example that produces skepticism is Seattle’s new plaza. While I haven’t skated it yet and have no personal opinion, it seems to get beaten up pretty badly on forums for tilting too heavily towards aesthetics at the expense of functionality.
Dreamland could produce a modified Option 3, which Danimal and others embrace, that still provided artistic elements both in sculpture and aesthetics. In other words, it shouldn’t need to be either/or, dinosaurs and ducks or nothing. There is a happy medium to be designed and built.
October 10th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Tom, you could have stayed even closer to home with Pier Park’s wave sculpture entrance. 100% skatable, and arguably one of the most popular features of the park, and it’s just the “art” section, technically not part of the skatepark even.
October 10th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Please take the pole and vote “C”, the third one!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=g_2brKd8s2xI82J9zh8bvWFw_3d_3d
October 10th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
…I mean poll.
October 10th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Man, #3 is by far the best design. Its timeless.
October 11th, 2009 at 1:13 am
I like #3 but what is up with the duck in # 2 ? fill with water and fountain to double as a waterpark
October 12th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
#3 is #1 you know it.
October 12th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
#3, if I have to explain then you won’t get it anyway.
October 12th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
#3 by a very clear margin….isn’t it obvious?
October 12th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
i say three, except ditch the street bullshit, put the crazy bowl from concept one in there instead
i want the Duck thing two, Go Ducks!
October 12th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
I enjoy the Conahan bowl replica in #3.
October 12th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
3 is best IMO
October 12th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
#3. i see a pattern here…
October 13th, 2009 at 12:02 am
Kilwag- that’s right. And with really modest changes from a skater’s perspective it could have been much cooler. (Artist Adam Kuby is thoughtful and a nice guy too, but not a skater.)
October 13th, 2009 at 6:07 am
Definitely Number 3.
I like the idea of a “perpetual snake-run”/ ditch/ banked slalom area – If that’s what the “star” shaped pool thing in Number 1 is supposed to be? But the necessary footprint for a snake-run is never going to be easy to fit in. As it stands, the central part of the “star” in Number 1 looks pretty useless – Leaving Number 1 with little to recommend it.
Number 2 has loads of wasted space and very little of interest, with only ONE fully-enclosed pool area in the whole design!
Number 3 is a winner by a long way. If the banked sections from Numbers 1 and 2 could be added around the outer edges (especially the lower edge, as viewed), it would be even better.
October 13th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
It would be cool to incorporate the bridge support near the square deep end of the “combi bowl” as an extension (in layout #3.)
October 17th, 2009 at 7:47 am
Looks like there’s only one real design there. The other two are just red herrings. The illusion of choice.
October 17th, 2009 at 8:43 am
I did not vote, cos I don’t live anywhere near there. and it’s hard for me to decide. it’s easy to see that plan #2 is just for little kids or something, that plan should be scrapped be fore some town decides it looks “safe”. #3 is the best overall, but I really like the lotus/mandala/star bowl in #1 the most. I would spend alot of time in it. it’s unique and has endless flow. I would want it with a deep end or two. if the center is wasted space, something could be done with it, maybe a duck? I am not too excited about the rest of #1. #3 has no flaws at all, it just does not strike me as anything special.
October 17th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Holy crap. How do their designs keep getting worse? That “star” bowl is a f*cking atrocity. Dreamland is completely out of touch. Has anyone involved with Dreamland ever gone street skating or been to a street plaza skatepark or watched a skate video. There are more giant bowls in the Pacific Northwest than there are old slash dogs to skate them.
October 18th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
There are more kids than there are grown-ups. I would think we would understand that concept at some point. These designs are for grown-ups, by grown-ups.
Are we really that selfish?
October 18th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Banks, plaza ledges, Big bowl with the pillar incorporated, crazy flower bowl, kiddie area. Version 1 has everything and it’s different. Maybe add a couple of little kickers and rails to the plaza area. That area might want somer bricks too. Looks like I left out a manual pad up there.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Mark, I’ll give you that there are a collection of elements there – and they can be listed. However, they are in a ‘bowlish’ type of arrangement – like a Burnside or a Newberg – when more linear lines are closer to what street skating is. Also, linear lines will always accommodate more riders at a time, while lines which criss-cross will reduce the number of concurrent riders due to crash up derby factor.
At least that’s what it looks like to me.
October 19th, 2009 at 10:37 am
If there are any bowls deeper than four or five feet I am willing to bet there will be street kids and homeless people smoking pot, drinking, breaking glass and leaving needles for everyone to skate around. It should be obvious that if its covered AND THEN wind protected.. it will get used for more than skateboarding. I say keep it like a skate plaza and eliminate hiding places that make it a more desirable place to stay for non-skaters. Of course you all know that every skate park has kids (generally under 18) smoking and drinking to spite that being acknowledged in any writing for this project, it will happen ten fold at this location.
In all honesty I don’t see how this benefits the community at all, I would love to see some real market research done on the long term benefits of this park. $300,000 is a lot of money to spend on a small user group in a city of 200,000 with six skate parks already built. How was there not someone smart enough to address this issue while funding was available for all of those? I guess it never started raining till 2008.
October 19th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
#3 looks like it has the most flow to it
October 19th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Jonathon, this is a website for skaters. we want the park built no matter what it costs your town. we want to come there and ride it. I go to two parks regularly, and the one in Richland WA is really cool cos it’s all lit up at night. sure hoodlems (non skating teens) hang out there at night, and maybe the break a law or two, but it’s all lit and the cops know it’s a place for hanging out so they cruse by and check the non skaters every 20 min. or so. the skatepark also gives cops something to do when they are bored. it’s multi-use for sure. if you don’t build the park under the bridge, you have a bridge that is still a good place to try and get high.
skateparks should be designed with adult skaters and little kid skaters in mind. adults and little kids know what they want. teens follow trends that are mostly set by the media. they give into peer pressure. we should not waste energy trying to please teens, because their state of mind is temporary. I skate it all.
October 19th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Eugene has 6 shitty skateparks already, good call Jonathon
this park is gonna be built by dreamland, be within skating distance from tactics, boardsports, and the bus station, and will be located under a bridge, also, most of my friends who skate cal young and drive 20 minutes to harrisburg on the daily are going to start going to this park all day everyday instead of the later, and thats just one crew of skaters from one skatepark
basicly, this park is going to be a packed house, junkies are gonna have to fight us if they wanna use our bowl during a heated sesh, this is a none issue, Jonathon doesn’t even skate so who cares what he says anyway
October 20th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Option 3 is definitely the best!!
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:08 am
I think option 3 is the best.
but i like the duck!! you should add that in option 3 somewhere.
November 13th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Why would you want to engineer a skatepark so that the bowls are contained completely under a bridge. I mean Eugene has such a dry semi-desert climate it seams trivial? Right? Wrong! I saw it rain for 3 months straight didn’t dry up for 3 months living down there. Use the cover to the best advantage or it’s done,cooked,and over.
November 13th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
smoke meth
November 13th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
y’all are being trolled