Skateboard Deterrents

Here-here!

I agree with the post above that this is normally for maintenance purposes because skateboarders can really tear up nice seatwalls. I also agree that we should LET EM RIDE!

Therefore, I must show images from one of my most beloved plazas….Heiner-Metzger Plaza in Neu Ulm, Germany.

This plaza is very small and at the corner of two streets. There is an artistic water feature at the street edge for fun and noise reduction, various cross flows of traffic including people coming and going from the towns public library that has it’s front doors onto the plaza, plus a play area for kids, outdoor fußball table, climbing wall, and large chess set in addition to benches, seat blocks and seat wall. And yet some of the seat walls have been given a rail-like edge that both protects the seatwall and actually gives the skaters a place to go. Some seat walls do not have the rail and instead have wooden benches sitting on top to help differentiate between skater area and sitting area.

Below is a photo of the seatwall for skaters and then a couple other photos just to show the rest of the plaza. It had just finished raining, literally 10 minutes before I took the photos and immediately people flocked to this place. Notice the lady relaxing on the bench with her umbrella in front of her.

I think the only real solution here is a balance between where it’s ok to skate and not ok to skate. The plaza is a great example. The designer didn’t fight against but for lack of a better term accepted that skateboarding would happen there. To tell someone that they can’t do something but not give them an alternative very rarely works. Also the use of deterrents such as specifying rough materials, saw cuts, or specialized objects that are designed to stop skateboards will deter some but will also provide a challenge to others.

Some good ideas there, are the walls built? because that limits you plenty, but if you are in the process of designing the wall you can add some texture (split face) on the vertical face of the wall and that stop them as well, you can integrate deeper notches or armrests (which have a bigger impact on the design). What I am having trouble now-a-days is with bikers, they jump over the deterrents very easy and create bigger damage to the walls. So think about bikers as well!

No offense but that is hideous. I hope that detail is blending in with some unseen site features. Not only does it deter skateboarders, but anyone who may want to enjoy the space.
Can you describe the overall design or maybe show more photos so we can get a feel for the whole design?