Spohn Ranch has put up a detailed video showing the installation of a prefab concrete bowl on the U.S. Millitary base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It’s the first time I’ve seen a prefab concrete installation covered so thoroughly. Regardless of your personal feelings about prefab concrete, it’s really interesting to see it all go down. It’s striking how mechanical the whole operation is. It’s progressed to a point where they almost don’t need more than one guy on the crew who whow skatepark specific concrete finishing, it’s very mechanical. The metal coping is cast into the forms. They lower everything into place, shim it up and then pour the flat and the decks. There’s some patchwork on the seams, then welding and grinding the coping and it’s done. The process seems to work well for non-organic skateparks and single feature bowls. Imagine the equivalent of building a skatepark like you would an HO model train. Pick your pieces and arrange them. Vid after the jump.
11 comments
Cory
So….they built a whole slab of concrete before they brought in their playground puzzle set, had to build walls for each side of each piece of their playground puzzle set, and then had to pour the flat and decks? Sounds to me like that is enough concrete to build a bowl twice the size.
Then you talk about cost of shipping those heavy playground pre-fab crap and you began to wonder how the hell that sales pitch went.
2 more things, the guy who helps looks like a little league coach at a middle school, not a skatebaorder at all. And that music could have had something to do with Cuba instead of the Congo. No surprise that the playground company has once again made complete unless fools out of themselves. Please God let this poser company fail soon.
masterochicken
Wow. I’m just wondering how many of those workers got arc flash. That was so unsafe.
brad
…or “Living Through Another Cuba”
mmmalik
@5:60 looks like a fun shape though.
mmmalik
I’d rather have local lumpy concrete than pre-fab concrete. McCrete drools.
Sol
I fully agree with Marc!
I’m assuming the cost to have built that bowl in place including all plane tickets, shelter, per-diem, labor, equipment and materials would hardly be a fraction of what it must have cost on just the shipping involved in that project.
Too bad the people of Cuba are restricted from skating it…
I’ve seen god and/or church parks but never did I expect nor imagine military parks. I’m glad at least they’re overseas so far, it seems.
therealcarvinmarvin
they have the exact same thing 20 minutes away from philly. it’s actually pretty fun
carvin' marvin'
the real carvin marvin? since when?
Marc
they can leave all the pre-fab in another country as far as I am concerned!
talentlessquitter
Ya think they call it Guantanamo bowl?
carvin' marvin'
skating at gitmo? if this is true, the terrorists have already won!!!!of course if the jarheads and the taliban can session together then we’ll have whirrled peas!!!build the next one in Gaza?
(would like to have snuk into that to snake it pre-completion)(is this a helmit manditory bowl?)
anybody grind it yet? release any detainees who can rip and exhile them to oregon