You’re looking a the concrete equivalent of a Play-doh fun factory. One of them generates a continuous curb and the other, a ditch. I wish I had more information on these photos posted by Architecture and Design magazine. Unfortunately, they were found on their Facebook timeline, and they provide no context or source links. I was very surprised because I assumed Architecture and Design Magazine was an actual print publication, and they should know better. Turns out it’s entirely web based. The “About Us” page has some unintentionally funny copy: “The Architecture & Design story began in Afghanistan ( a country in Asia ) back in 2013…” Yes, 2013, a time when few people have heard of the rarely talked about country of Afghanistan. In any case, these machines are not designed for building skateparks, but the concept is interesting. Ole John Henry could take these machines, each one still requires a crew of guys to operate. – Via Wrex Cook on Facebook

Prefab and DIY are two things not commonly associated with each other, but it turns out they were a good fit in at lease one case. Confusion Magazine documented a renegade skate spot perpetrated by Skate DIY that required a quick install, with most of the work being done off site. Unfortunately, the spot came down almost as fast as the installation, lasting a mere 12 hours.

I spotted a pump track video online via Michael Brooke’s Facebook feed, but he was tight lipped about it at the time and I forgot ot follow up on it. Progressive Pumptracks makes modular pump tracks from three different materials, wood, steel, and concrete. The wooden ones seem like they would have a short useful lifespan for a skateboard, even though they are covered with a composite surface. I can imagine the repetitive “thunk thunk” sounds at each seem would only get louder and slower after a season in the rain or snow. The concrete version looks pretty fun though, although technically still reconfigurable, in reality it seems like it would be really hard to move without a good forklift, maybe two. It’s a pretty exciting idea until you realize that ARC is the company behind it. Actually, it’s still a pretty cool idea, just hard to swallow considering who makes them. A pump track is not really a “skatepark” but more like a skatespot. It looks super fun, and I love the idea of plopping these down on a disused tennis court. Videos and pics after the jump, plus a bonus video of an asphalt pump track someplace called…

Spohn Ranch is giving a facelift to a lowlyconcrete slab in Ft. Duchesne, Utah to make a plaza style skatepark for the Ute Indian Tribe. The tribe has 617 people, each human being gets 10.53 square feet of skate able terrain at the end of the deal. You do the math, or look at the pictures on Flickr.

You’re looking at massive portable and reconfigurable concrete bowl made by Spohn Ranch. In much the same way that you’ve seen Tony Hawk’s metal framed vert ramp carted along in pieces to assorted demos and Boom Boom Huck Jams, except it’s concrete, and more complex. It’s a pretty amazing from a technical standpoint, something that heavy than can be set up, then torn down and transported on regular roadways, to be set up again in a different configuration. The current incarnation is still in beta. As it is now, the waterfall and intermediary walls are poured in place on each stop, but plans are to get those fabricated and surfaced for reuse as well. The rough sketch for the bowl (shallow 7′ 6″ , deep 12′) was conceived by Chris Miller before being worked over in CAD to engineer it. The individual sections are laser cut, with 3/16″ of steel between every other section. It’s supposed to be precise enough to not feel the seem on rollover. A CNC cut floor template helps everything fit together. The coping is modular as well. The goal over the next 5 years or so is to build a giant library of sections to…

At long last we’re finally shipping some substandard manufactured goods to China instead of receiving them. The Fanling Vert Ramp in Hong Kong being perpetrated by American Ramp Company. It’s prefab concrete, which I gotta say kind of makes sense to me. I mean, if you’re going to build a concrete vert ramp, prefab might be the way to go since uniformity is more desirable than creative artistry, assuming they have the skills to set it up right. Look at the size of those vert panels. This thing looks like a beast, although at that height it’s going to seem narrow. – Thanks to Chad Balcom for the tip.

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.