Seattle Center is going to try and get me weekly pictures, and I’m still trying to get a site visit.  Here are this week’s shadowy gems!

The Seattle Center has done a straight-up crappy job at keeping the skateboarding community informed about progress on the new skatepark.  Repeated requests for updates, access to the site, and the the very least some photos had been ignored until yesterday, when we received these two celebrations of brownosity.  You’d think that our City’s “gathering place” would have a better outreach program.

Oh…hey….what’s this?!

We got a shout-out from the P-I in an article on the new SeaSk8.

Check it out here.

The biggest skateable beer cooler in the world!!!

Sorry for the crap quality on these photos, but I was just walking by the SeaSk8 site on my lunch break and snapped them on my phone.

I knew they were using some new foam technique due to the subterranean Key Arena kitchen and HVAC stuff, but I was not prepared for how weird it looks.  The Grindline guys must be trippin’.

I can only hope there is some place for me to put my cold beverage, and that when they tear this skatepark out to build another building for Bill Gates, all the foam breaks up into those little tiny white balls and flies all over the city.

My only legitimate gripe with the design so far is the rediculously oppressive and giant wall to protect the church-goers from evil.  If anyone in Seattle should’ve learned about the effects of building a cage for skateboarders, it’s Seattle Center.

The Seattle Center issued a press release last week announcing the ground-breaking down at the SeaSk8 site.  What is not mentioned here, is that the park is one month behind schedule, and is now slated to open in July.  Let’s hope that’s the extent of the slip.  Grindline is working with some new materials and the park’s design is pretty out-there.

City of Seattle
Mayor GREGORY J. NICKELS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, March 16, 2009
MEDIA CONTACT: Deborah Daoust / (206) 769-0259
deborah.daoust@seattle.gov

Media Information

Seattle Center Breaks Ground on State-of-the-Art Skate Park

Seattle Center has started construction on a 10,000 square foot, state-of-the-art Skate Park.  The project includes improvements to one of the main intersections leading into the campus at 2nd Avenue and Thomas Street. It is expected to be completed by early summer.

Seattle Center worked closely with the skate board community on design of the Seattle Center Skate Park. It will feature practical and artistic elements, with skateable streetscape features and outstanding usability. A non-skateable divider will be built between the park and the campus, and it will be open daily (for daytime use only).

The Seattle City Council mandated construction of the Seattle Center Skate Park after property housing the former Skate Park was sold to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for development of its world headquarters.  The project was funded by proceeds of the sale and other City capital funds.

The placement and design of the Seattle Center Skate Park were vetted through an extensive public process including public and Skate Park community meetings, determination and notice of non-significance, and published public notice, comment period and appeal period. The Park also was part of the environmental review associated with the Seattle Center Century 21 Master Plan.

Project members include:
Weinstein A|U–Architect
VDZ/New Line Skateparks—Skatepark Design
Perri Lynch—Artist
KPFF Consulting Engineers–Structural Engineers
WSP Flack + Kurtz–Mechanical and Electrical Engineers
McClure and Sons, Inc.–General Contractors
Grindline Skateparks–Skatepark Construction

The Skate Park site contained a pavilion built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. It runs along Thomas Street southwest of KeyArena.  Mechanical and catering facilities for KeyArena are housed below site, and so the skating area will be built up above the ground (as opposed to a bowl type design).

Attached are images of the conceptual design. For more information on the Seattle Center Skate Park and other activities at Seattle Center, visit www.seattlecenter.com

Well folks, they’re finally here… these are the 3D renderings of the new SeaSk8 design, to be constructed this Spring.  The contract has been awarded, and we know who the builder is, but we’ve been sworn to secrecy until the ink is dry.  Stay tuned.

Seattle Center staff is now reviewing VDZ/NewLine’s submission for the final SeaSk8 replacement park design.  If built as-is, this park’s only problem will be that at a mere 8K sq/ft, there is simply not enough of it to go around.

These renderings represent the final design unless Seattle Center staff have some change requests.  Lest anyone be confused, the ‘admission booth’ (#1 in the features list below) is not for the skatepark, it’s an existing structure that they use when they close up the campus for Bumbershoot and other events.  SPAC chair Ryan Barth, who has been heavily involved as the lead advocate on this project, has been adamant that this skatepark remain an open and free public facility.

Glass riding surfaces, a bunch of skateable public art, cutting-edge hardscape design, integrated green elements, adjacent access to Vera Project and Skate Like A Girl, and a prime location within the urban core, make this look like it will be landmark skatepark we all hoped it would be.  There is also a new location for the memorial elements from the old park, which is something that the skate community felt very strongly about.

Click the images below to see the full-size, annotated design documents.

Here are some images of the latest design revision, this time in glorious 3-D!

NewLine and VDZ will be in town tonight to unveil the final design draft and gather your input on any final tweaks:

When:  Thursday, June 5th @ 6:30pm

Where:  Seattle Center / Shaw Hall