Dan’s Vision for Skate Park Hub

Summary of ideas and considerations to steer initial proposal

At all times we should bear in mind that at its essence, skate culture has always embraced and been intrinsically linked to an Arts and DIY lifestyle. By their nature skating and biking do not need  instruction or guidance, they encourage inventiveness, self learning and exploration. Most younger skaters and bikers often only come to realise this when they are older so it should be introduced to them earlier if we are to push the boundaries of excellence and what is new and exciting in these fields.

‘The Hub’ is a space that can facilitate such skill sharing, learning and experimentation as well as a social centre for relaxation.

The building will also be the public face of the skatepark and it is an opportunity to create a positive, vibrant and creative space where emerging talents can be displayed and explored without the fear of failure or judgement.

It should be as far removed from the stereotypical ‘youth club’ vibe as possible, which is often perceived as a space with gratified walls, broken windows where the more unruly kids choose to hang out and a lot of children are scared to go.

Instead it should be a place for relaxing and socialising, sharing skills, developing and experimenting with new and exciting art forms, alternative technologies, etc etc.

• Building-the style and aesthetic should be something special if budget allows. A faceless, concrete construction that looks like a youth centre without identity offers little excitement or stimulation. The Hub itself should look interesting, a declaration of the creativity that lies within its walls.

• Eco-friendly credentials-with the potential to create something very special from scratch, and as something that represents the next generation it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to  create something suited to our changing world. The surrounding landscape lends itself to a semi-submerged, low impact structure, minimising visual impact and using the soil itself as both thermal insulation and soundproofing for possible musical applications.Turf roof and solar panels will ensure a minimal carbon footprint and act to educate the users. Geothermal heating is a real possibility due to the gradient of the nearby hill.

• Some degree of self sufficiency may be possible, there is certainly the space to grow fruit and vegetables that could be used in an on-site cafe. If this offered a range of organic foods and drinks for both adults visiting the skatepark with children and independent users of the park, then we have a potential source of income for the skatepark and youth Hub

• Inside the building should offer  an opportunity to share skills and learn about creative art forms and new technologies. Street theatre; cutting edge art and design; green technologies and alternative energy; dance; music and video production and rehearsal spaces; creation of bespoke skateboards and bikes with their associated graphics. There is an untapped wealth of local talent with skills to share in skateboard and bike design and production.  In Bishops Stortford alone is one of the country’s foremost bespoke bike creators. This raises the exciting prospect of official One  Minet skate decks and graphics, which could be sold in an onsite shop.Many of these art forms are integral to skate culture already, there are no end of v videos shot at One Minet park on the internet, many are of a very good quality.

  Bringing in outside producers, directors and sound engineers could help to create a centre of excellence in such fields, elevating One Minet park and The Hub to something far more than just another skatepark in the UK.

• Integrating One Minet park: With arts integral to skate culture, One Minet park already offers a wonderful untapped space for the presentation of art, skateable art, theatre, sculpture, music and performance.There have been forays into skateparks as a performance space but thus far they have been tentative one offs to tie in with a larger event around them.A specific theatrical piece related to One Minet’s fantastic dreamscape could be created for something such as the Arts Trail projects. This might be the launch pad f or something far greater in the long term.

• Economic self sufficiency:It is important to show an ability and willingness to reduce dependency on financial aid from  the local authority. Almost certainly money will need to be generated for some sort of manager at the centre, apart from this The Hub will present many opportunities to raise money for the upkeep of the park and The Hub itself.It is important to make youth users realise that we must all take responsibility for The Hub, not just in caring for it, but also in our responsibility to it financially.They should realise that this is a give and take culture, everything is not just handed to them on a plate. This may involve sharing the hub for some activities that they do not like (e.g. paying workshops for adults) but which are beneficial to the longevity of their centre.

• These could include:
• The cafe-selling healthy food, snacks and drink.
• Gigs and performances-income generated from entry fees, and extra money from the cafe at such events
• An on-site skate/bike/scooter shop. This could be franchised out to a third party or run by volunteer locals. Likely to be a weekend and school holiday only opening, but a real chance to raise money for the park and also an opportunity for users to sell their unwanted equipment to the centre for resale at a small profit. (See also One Minet decks and graphics.)
• Running workshops that paying adult visitors could attend, this could help to  supplement the free opportunities offered to local youngsters.

Establishing the hub as a charitable trust opens up a wealth of benefits for an enterprise that will be run on a shoestring, no doubt with a lot of local goodwill.

cateogories: Hub News