Reid Small, owner of The Void Skate Shop, introduced me to the Kingshighway Skatepark last year and it has been on my mind ever since. Why? What does a 30,000 square foot DIY Skatepark in St. Louis have to do with sustainability and industry? Consider how the skatepark came to be.
Located under a viaduct in an easily overlooked residual space created by our modern transportation infrastructure, it has been used as an illegal dump and a really great place to burn mattresses. Discovered while scouting for skate spots, a group of skaters set about the work of cleaning up the space and transforming it into an amenity. Work included graffiti removal using recycled paint from Habitat for Humanity and a maintenance/construction/housekeeping program requiring participation in exchange for the privilege of skating. City inspectors discovered the work, and with no complaints from area businesses, the allowed the skatepark to stay. They even provided a dumpster to support the effort.
With the viaduct and skatepark scheduled for demolition in 2012, the skaters have gone on to form a 501c3 and are currently working with the city on future projects.
The lessons here for sustainable site selection is clear: Be resourceful. Look for the potential of brownfields and of previously developed sites in metropolitan boundaries. Instead of writing off a site due to perceived constraints, reconsider these constraints as opportunities and advantages for a project. Develop a means to integrate the community of stakeholders, local government, non-profit organizations, and private enterprise . Go beyond just mitigating the effects and make it a project goal to improve environment by means of the construction or new building. Interested in seeing a complete photographic tour of the park? You will find them here.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Sustainability – Industrial Strength
Sustainable Design, Construction, and Operation for Industrial Facilities
Anarchist Skate Punks Occupy St. Louis via Guerilla Urbanism
Posted on May 10, 2012
Reid Small, owner of The Void Skate Shop, introduced me to the Kingshighway Skatepark last year and it has been on my mind ever since. Why? What does a 30,000 square foot DIY Skatepark in St. Louis have to do with sustainability and industry? Consider how the skatepark came to be.
Located under a viaduct in an easily overlooked residual space created by our modern transportation infrastructure, it has been used as an illegal dump and a really great place to burn mattresses. Discovered while scouting for skate spots, a group of skaters set about the work of cleaning up the space and transforming it into an amenity. Work included graffiti removal using recycled paint from Habitat for Humanity and a maintenance/construction/housekeeping program requiring participation in exchange for the privilege of skating. City inspectors discovered the work, and with no complaints from area businesses, the allowed the skatepark to stay. They even provided a dumpster to support the effort.
With the viaduct and skatepark scheduled for demolition in 2012, the skaters have gone on to form a 501c3 and are currently working with the city on future projects.
The lessons here for sustainable site selection is clear: Be resourceful. Look for the potential of brownfields and of previously developed sites in metropolitan boundaries. Instead of writing off a site due to perceived constraints, reconsider these constraints as opportunities and advantages for a project. Develop a means to integrate the community of stakeholders, local government, non-profit organizations, and private enterprise . Go beyond just mitigating the effects and make it a project goal to improve environment by means of the construction or new building. Interested in seeing a complete photographic tour of the park? You will find them here.
Reid Small, owner of The Void Skate Shop, introduced me to the Kingshighway Skatepark last year and it has been on my mind ever since. Why? What does a 30,000 square foot DIY Skatepark in St. Louis have to do with sustainability and industry? Consider how the skatepark came to be.
Located under a viaduct in an easily overlooked residual space created by our modern transportation infrastructure, it has been used as an illegal dump and a really great place to burn mattresses. Discovered while scouting for skate spots, a group of skaters set about the work of cleaning up the space and transforming it into an amenity. Work included graffiti removal using recycled paint from Habitat for Humanity and a maintenance/construction/housekeeping program requiring participation in exchange for the privilege of skating. City inspectors discovered the work, and with no complaints from area businesses, the allowed the skatepark to stay. They even provided a dumpster to support the effort.
With the viaduct and skatepark scheduled for demolition in 2012, the skaters have gone on to form a 501c3 and are currently working with the city on future projects.
The lessons here for sustainable site selection is clear: Be resourceful. Look for the potential of brownfields and of previously developed sites in metropolitan boundaries. Instead of writing off a site due to perceived constraints, reconsider these constraints as opportunities and advantages for a project. Develop a means to integrate the community of stakeholders, local government, non-profit organizations, and private enterprise . Go beyond just mitigating the effects and make it a project goal to improve environment by means of the construction or new building. Interested in seeing a complete photographic tour of the park? You will find them here.
