Skater Conscious

Skateboarding is made possible by the built environment, but without architecture necessarily being designed for its occurrence. Without knowing it, designers have created environments that facilitate a social and artistic culture to thrive. And this has happened – for the most part – in leftover pieces of landscape, infrastructure, and urban settings. Skaters move through and experience space in unique ways. While their boards enable this experience, there is more; most spaces are not designed for them – and some are even designed to keep them out – but, nevertheless, skaters persevere through invention and creativity. Skaters actively search for interesting spaces or even modify a site in order to enhance their experience. Over time, skateboarders develop a new way of thinking; a “skater conscious.” They build upon the seemingly mundane cityscape and imagine and embody another world. Rather than space remaining static, it becomes constantly reinterpreted by skater’s interaction with physical forms and their projected use onto the environment. What can that mean for architecture and the potential of skater and non-skater interaction? This project proposes that a deeper understanding of skater’s methods of interaction with their physical surroundings will aid in the production of architectural interventions that enhance the built environment for both skaters and non-skaters