Marnix bowl Amsterdam
The Marnixbowl at the Eerste Marnixplantsoen is considered to be the best concrete bowl of the Netherlands. Ever since it's debut in May 2005 the Marnixbowl has been sessioned by the best skateboarders and BMX-ers from all over the world. Built from pre-fabricated concrete elements this bowl has perfect transitions and a simple yet effective lay-out making it the perfect destination for all who like to ride. For it's tenth birthday the city of Amsterdam asked Concrete Matters to give the concrete bowl a complete maintenance make over.
Concrete Matters used five different steps to give the concrete the full treatment it deserved. First we had to get rid of all the paint & graffiti. After cleaning the entire riding surface we cut out all the seams connecting the pre-fabricated elements. Using special polishing techniques we grinded the entire riding surface giving the concrete a smooth finish again. We reconnected all the separate elements by applying a heavy duty two component artificial mortar. After letting the mortar settle we gave the entire riding surface it's second polish making the surface smoother then it had ever been before. To protect the top surface we used special sodium silicate to seal the concrete giving the smooth finish a longer lifespan. This process took Concrete Matters three weeks from start to finish and has resulted in a smoother then ever before skatebowl in the centre of Amsterdam. We treasure this piece of skateable concrete & look forward to many, many more years of skateboarding & BMX riding in the lovely Marnixbowl!
The Marnixbowl receiving one of it's legendary paintjobs in 2014.
Step one: cleaning the concrete by removing all graffiti & paint.
Step two: removing all the seams connecting the individual concrete elements.
Step three: giving every inch of the riding surface it's first polish
Step four, five & six involve filling up the seams and giving the concrete a second, more refined finish. After the concrete has been washed clean from all the dust we then sealed the concrete to give it long lasting protection against the elements and all the mechanical abuse it receives on a daily basis.
Onderuit Amstelveen
The city of Amstelveen approached us to design an out of the ordinary concrete sculpture inspired by streetskating. We took inspiration from real streetspots and working together with the locals & Mark van der Eng from Carve we designed a skateable intersection with various banks, wallies and ledges. Our original plan included an outer rim around the sculpture so that the park would have lots more ledges & manual possibilities but this - much to our disappointment - never made it into the final design.
Museumpleinramp Amsterdam
UPDATE: Due to the renovation of the entire Museumplein area these ramps are no longer there. Amsterdam is working on getting the ramps rebuilt in the nearby future at a to be determined location.
After the renovation of the Museumplein in 1998 the old Powell warehouse ramps were replaced with a terrible steel vertramp that was completely dysfunctional. It took many, many years of meetings to convince the city to restore this classic spot into a functional skate facility once more. We set out to design a miniramp that would allow all skill levels to enjoy the ramps and wanted to include a spine section because there were none in the Netherlands. The current 15 meter wide steel spineramp is the widest miniramp & the only spineramp in the Netherlands.
Due to a combination of a steel riding surface, dust from the surrounding gravel & wax the ramps get quite slippery most of the time. We try to give the ramps an annual sandblast treatment to make them more grippy. Just make sure to sweep the ramps with a soft broom before you shred and you'll be A okay.
Zeeburgereiland Amsterdam
We believe good concrete skateparks improve the skate & BMX cultures. Seeing the lack of good skating infrastructure in the Netherlands we took it upon ourselves to convince the city of Amsterdam to build an internationally recognizable skatepark that would set the standard for Dutch skateparks for the future.
We expect the 'urbansportszone' at the Zeeburgereiland to be finished in the second quarter of 2020.
The final design for the urbansportszone as made with Glifberg + Lykke.
The preliminary USZ design (2016) with surrounding Sporthelden park.
DIY park Amsterdam
In 2013 we took matters into our own hands & mobilized a solid crew of skateboard enthusiasts to build our own concrete skatepark. Using the abandoned foundation of an old factory in the Houthavens we transformed a no-go area into a concrete playground free for all to enjoy. More info on this project can be found on the skatemates website.
