The Harbour Park, Copenhagen
raised lawns, with specially shaped pieces to cre-
ate the low walls at the sides of the ramp. These
walls are raked to follow the slope of the ramp.
The skateboard rink itself is made of curved steel
plates supported on a timber framework. A handrail
secures the edge of the platform which is 2m above
the ground toward the harbour side. The sunken
asphalt area has a central crown which sheds run-
off towards gullies placed in each corner.
In the design proposal made for the park in 1993
Vestmanna Plads is much smaller. It is not men-
tioned separately but only as the access to a pro-
posed youth hostel, which was to have been housed
in an anchored vessel, Herluf Trolle. Although this
proposed hostel gave an impetus to the creation of
the Harbour Park, it was never realised. Meanwhile,
in the 1990s, roller skating and skateboarding
became very popular, particularly among a group
of youngsters with their own subculture. It was
decided to redesign the area and to integrate the
activities of these young people into the park.
Skaters associated with a shop called Underground
were consulted regarding the first design sugges-
tions for Vestmanna Plads and gave specific advice
on the design of features for skating. The design