Oedelem skatepark Belgium
At the end of 2021 we built our last park of the year in the city of Oedelem, Belgium.
The locals wanted a bank to bank set-up combined with a quarterpipe and a bank/hip combo which we integrated into the final design making Oedelem a compact yet diverse & unique little streetpark.
To optimize available funds we built directly upon the existing asphalt. To minimize our impact upon the environment we used second generation backfill materials for the different levels of the skatepark.
Den Haag pumptrack
The existing skatepark at the Rijswijkse Landingslaan needed a makeover. All concrete was in a terrible state and we updated the obstacles to make for a better overall experience. Besides this renovation work we teamed up with Velosolutions to build a nice little pumptrack for all to enjoy right next to this little streetcourse. The ever illusive & internationallly acclaimed artist Mr June worked his magic to create an incredible outdoor space that is not only fun to ride around on but pleasing to the eye as well.
Albertpark bowls Kortrijk
When the Kortrijk bowl was built in the south of Belgium it was truly groundbreaking:
never before had such an exceptional bowl been built on European soil! TeamPain (USA) designed and built this wonderful bowl in 2004 and upon opening the Kortrijk bowl was host to many international skateboard en BMX events.
In the thirteen years since it's conception the surface of the concrete had deteriorated so much that not merely visiting skaters but even the locals were starting to complain about it's rough texture. Two stress cracks were starting to chip at the hips in the shallow and mid section and there were a couple of chips in the seams of the cradle. Using a special 2 component artificial concrete we did repair work on these holes & chips and we leveled out two bumps in the vert section. The main task for the renovation of Kortrijk however was polishing every inch of concrete making all riding surfaces feel & ride like brand new concrete once again!
The top half of the picture above shows the concrete after our polishing process, the bottom half of the picture is still untreated. Our polishing process makes the concrete smoother which makes it less dangerous when falling and/or sliding down it's surface. The treated concrete skates faster yet still has those excellent gripping & sliding characteristics that new concrete has. Our renovation process makes skateparks more resistant to water & dry faster than before making not only more skating possible but also safer skating!
We would like to thank the city of Kortrijk for cherishing this bowl by giving it the necessary maintenance and last but not least Team Pain skateparks for this amazing structure that we now get to enjoy to it's full potential for many more years to come!
Time to get sticking again, peoploids! Who can stick it the highest?
Schothorst Amersfoort
The Amersfoort bowl was built in 2006 and hadn't been looked after since. Our 6 step renovation process has made all concrete surfaces smoother than ever before. As part of the renovation we also fixed up the surrounding asphalt surfaces and the bank to flat connection leaving the bowl in a better state than when it was just built.
Due to it's modular construction all connecting seams had either come loose, were breaking apart or were completely missing rendering the bowl impossible to skate. All concrete surfaces showed different stages of deterioration because of the combination of poor craftmanship, vandalism and graffiti cleaning.
The bowl as you'll find it at Schothorsterpark in Amersfoort, come by and shred it!
Ypenburg skatebowl Den Haag
Check out these images on the latest renovation & maintenance project that we have done in the past three weeks. Years of neglect had left the concrete of the Ypenburg skatepark in Den Haag in terrible condition making it nearly impossible to skate. Thanks to gemeente Den Haag we were able to refurbish all concrete and give this facility a second life. We applied our special three step concrete polishing process and gave all concrete surfaces a sealing treatment to make it more weather and impact resistant. We did repair work & replaced all seams in between the modular elements of the bowl. Now the bowl & surrounding streetcourse are in better shape than they've ever been before and we look forward to having some sessions here!
These images below show the skatepark before we started our renovation project. The stones within the concrete mix protruded everywhere and most seams in the bowl had either come loose or were missing. We would like to thank gemeente Den Haag for allowing us to give this skatepark a second life!
Rotterdam skateparks
The city of Rotterdam is leading the way for all Dutch cities to follow. Not only does Rotterdam offer some of the best street skating in the Netherlands, in the last three years they have built no fewer than FOUR different concrete skateparks! This does not even include the ambitious skate facilities of the neighbouring areas of Dordrecht, Schiedam and Berkel & Rodenrijs, all three of which are great places to go skate!
Concrete Matters is making sure these facilities stay in the best shape possible and provides the city of Rotterdam with yearly maintenance services for it's skate & BMX infrastructure. This year we did small repairs, maintenance & concrete sealing on the beautiful Nesselande skatepark, the Heemraadsingel & Soetendaalseplein bowls.
The Nesselande skatepark in Rotterdam.
Pooligan country; the infamous Heemraadsingel in Rotterdam.
The Soetendaalseplein bowl, a perfect bowl for learning how to skate.
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.
Reeshof bowl Tilburg
The Reeshof skatepark was built in 2002 and hadn't received any maintenance since then. In 2016 the concrete was in such bad shape that stones were exposed everywhere making the skatepark virtually unskateable. Local BMX riders convinced their city to give the skatepark some long needed maintenance, halting the gradual destruction of a once ambitious skatepark. The city of Tilburg went the extra mile and added a little beginner streetcourse to make the restored Reeshof skatepark more diverse then before.
Concrete Matters restored all the concrete in the skatepark, cleaning, grinding and polishing all riding surfaces. Additionally we repaired all cracks & holes and applied a sodium silicate solution to make the concrete more resistant to the abuse it is subject to. This complete renovation process has given this skatepark a second life and it now attracts skaters & children from the entire Brabant area once again. The overview pictures below show the result of the renovation process & the situation before Concrete Matters renovated the Reeshof skatepark.
