LOT-EK, indoor Skateboard / BMX

indoor Skateboard / BMX

a municipal water tank revisited for indoor skateboarding

Type

Public space

Client

JNL / Jason Pickelman

concept

1998

Location

Chicago, IL

Size

150,000 SF

Awards

concept & vision

we select a steel water tank as the perfect shell for an indoor skateboard facility with its sloping, continuous curved surface. Exploiting the curvature of the tank walls, we configure an interconnected system of ramps for continuous gliding

design & architecture

the tank is placed directly on the ground. Its perimeter is perforated by other objects to encourage social interaction and gathering, with a dense repetition of vending machines, lockers and seating alcoves that run along an interior 360-degree walkway

program & use

the path is located at the top of the skating ramps, and it is animated by graphics and light. 40-foot shipping containers serve as entrance and exit tunnels; 20-foot shipping containers house offices and bathrooms. The whole inner surface of the tank is coated with white epoxy to be used as a spherical projection screen, introducing the skaters into virtual landscapes

impact & significance

reimagining how to use a municipal water tank, to explore its inner world, to propose a new inner world

related object:

tank

related project:

APAP OpenSchool Anyang, Korea