Local firm AAN Architects looked to skateboarding trails when designing the Moreprk Skyline skatepark within a glass-sided space in central Shanghai.
Located in the city’s Xuhui District, the indoor skatepark has a glazed facade that allows uninterrupted views across the urban landscape.
The main area is used for both free practice and skateboarding lessons
AAN Architects created the undulating structure using concrete reinforced with steel.
“Steel-reinforced concrete provides both the durability and flexibility required for the skatepark’s dynamic design,” the studio told Dezeen.
The structure is made out of steel-reinforced concrete
The skatepark forms part of a wider sports-themed commercial complex designed by local architecture practice Vanke.
“The third and fourth floors were planned as a glass-box space, and Vanke envisioned Moreprk infusing this area with renewed energy, transforming it into a vibrant window to the city,” said the studio.
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The main space is dominated by an undulating bowl running the length of the space, providing a sunken area used by skaters to build up speed and perform tricks.
The wave-like shapes of the bowl were echoed in the ceiling, track lighting and railings, creating an enduring sense of movement over all surfaces.
A zigzagging rail – with skateboard-shaped seats dotted along it – leads up a slope to the reception desk.
The park is part of a wider sports complex
The next floor up houses a coffee kiosk and retail area as well as a skateboarding workshop.
Above the indoor skatepark, the studio created an outdoor skateboarding track and dome.
“Moreprk Skyline uses the idea of curvature as a medium to transform the spirit of freedom of movement into spatial form, reshaping the relationship between people and the city, gravity and the sky in a suspended glass box,” said the studio.
Other skateparks published on Dezeen include a rooftop park in China rendered in shades of blue by Within Beyond Studio, and a skate ramp attached to the side of a Brazilian skyscraper by Red Bull and Prada.
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