With the Olympics approaching, chat with renowned skatepark design firm GLIFBERG&LYKKE about the future direction of skatepark design

A few months ago, Rune came to London to shoot the Concrete Dinosaurs project for Sidewalk. Being in the UK, on a rainy day, Kingspin seized the opportunity to interview Rune. This interview touched on his skatepark design company Glifberg&Lykke, the economic benefits of a good skatepark, the impact of the Olympics on skatepark design, and more...

Q: Let’s start with obstacles. What was the first obstacle you designed and built?

When I was around 11 or 12 years old, I built a ramp myself, but the first obstacle I actually designed and had built was a vertical ramp, which is a bowl. That design has been copied countless times. Ever since that obstacle appeared, many people started designing bowls that way. I originally designed it that way simply because there was no space—the vertical launch ramps back then took up too much room. I designed this one in my garage, and the only usable space was a hole in the middle, so I thought, why not curve it up on both sides? That way, the height you drop down and then go back up would be the same. As long as you have enough speed, you can go up, get caught, and then go up again, effectively doubling the size of a normal ramp.

Q: Like using a bowl but with a ramp?

Yeah, the one I designed had the steepest angle possible (90 degrees). The steeper the better, because you get more speed. Mine was 2 feet (about 60 cm), and it was the first idea I turned into reality. At the time, I was working with Remy Stratton. I shared the idea with him, and he was really supportive. Team Pain built the obstacle for us, and it was a success. Later, countless people copied it, and it became the widely used bowl we know today. I’m actually quite proud of that.

Q: How did the company get started? What was the motivation behind founding it?

We’re designers, so we don’t do the construction part ourselves. Back when Fælledparken skatepark in Copenhagen was being renovated, I was very keen on making sure the money was well spent—for example, avoiding poor aesthetics or impractical designs, and preventing the funds from ending up in the hands of landscape architects or amateurs who didn’t know how to design skateparks. That’s when I got actively involved. It started purely out of passion, not just for money.

Then there was another project, about a 30-minute drive from Copenhagen. My friend Ebbe was working on a design with someone else, and they asked me to join. That’s when we gradually fell in love with skatepark design. We didn’t originally think we’d go down this path—we just wanted to contribute to our hometown skatepark, which I’d been skating since 1988. Eventually, as projects multiplied, my business partner Ebbe and I decided to start this design company, because I had great ideas, I loved what I did, and my reputation back home in Denmark spoke for itself.

Q: What’s the hardest part of designing a good skatepark?

Pleasing everyone—that’s really hard. I think our focus is on showcasing beauty. We want the skatepark to look amazing, not just be functional (though that’s the most basic requirement). For us, the most important thing is that you can tell it’s a skatepark from afar.

Most skateparks are designed to avoid dead ends, so skaters don’t have to stop too often mid-run. Many of our designs intentionally place entrances and exits away from the main flow, and we arrange the routes to bypass those areas. I think smooth transitions are essential—non-negotiable. So, we aim to make our skateparks not only smooth to ride but also visually appealing.

Q: What’s your favorite project of yours?

I’m not sure, but Streetdome is great. I think the park area outside the skatepark is really well designed and fun. The whole park has different zones, but it all feels cohesive, and skaters will definitely love it. It caters to all types of skaters, but all-around skaters like Curren Caples or Grant Taylor would probably feel most at home there.

We just designed a smaller skatepark in Galten, not far from Denmark’s second-largest city, Aarhus. That one turned out really well too—it’s fun, with circular street-style obstacles on the perimeter and a bowl in the center.

Q: What do you think is the most distinctive aspect of your designs?

They look good. They’re fun to skate and they look great. That’s something we’re really proud of—our goal is to design beautiful skateparks.

Q: Exactly, looks matter, but a lot of people overlook that.

For us, aesthetics are important, but for many skaters, it seems like looks don’t matter—they just want something fun to skate, regardless of how it looks. But the environment matters. As skaters, we’re always drawn to cool terrain—whether it’s street spots, full pipes, or channels. We want to skate cool obstacles, we want to take cool photos, and compared to traditional skateparks with just a single launch ramp and flat bar, ours are way better. Some skateparks have all kinds of obstacles, but they just don’t come together in a fun way. I think it’s really cool to design a skatepark that skaters want to film and get stoked on. When you go to one of our parks, you feel comfortable, you’re more motivated, and you can actually enjoy skating instead of treating it like a workout machine.

Q: With the Olympics coming up, where do you see the future of skatepark design going?

I think many countries and cities will start investing in building skateparks, whether the funding comes from government sports programs or elsewhere. I hope we’ll see more and more skateparks. I think having iconic, sizable, and numerous skateparks can help a city develop. It’s not like building a soccer field, baseball diamond, or rugby pitch—those can go anywhere with similar results.

Skaters are naturally curious. They want to explore, travel, take photos, and see new environments—that’s why they travel for skateboarding. If the government invests a million dollars to build an amazing skatepark, people will find out about it online and want to visit. It won’t just attract locals—it means money flowing into the local economy. Local shops, hotels, and bars will benefit. In a small rural town, that economic boost can really help. At least, that’s how it works in Denmark.

Many suburban or rural kids move to big cities at 17 or 18 because that’s where the fun is. But if their hometown has something to keep them engaged—like a great skatepark—it can retain young people and energize the community. For governments, attracting tourists is a great way to make money. Just from a financial perspective, I don’t think officials realize the potential of a good skatepark. Many might disagree, but I truly believe that. The investment might not pay off in a year, but within 5–10 years? Absolutely. The city where Streetdome is located even has signs on the highway pointing to the skatepark, just like they do for landmarks like Stonehenge.

Q: In the UK, there’s a skatepark like that in Saffron Walden called Dreamlands, and it gets tons of visitors every weekend...

No matter how much the government initially spent, the tourists visiting the skatepark will cover that cost. We’re traveling right now and heading to Livingston—a skatepark built there 30 years ago still generates revenue for the government today. We’re going there to spend money. If you’re lobbying your government for a skatepark, this is a solid case to make.

Q: Of all the skateparks not designed by you, which one do you wish you had designed?

The Black Pearl in the Cayman Islands—I wish I had designed that. The street obstacles are a bit random, but the park feels like something out of a claymation movie, which is awesome. It’s also one of the earliest large-scale skateparks to combine multiple types of obstacles. I haven’t been there in years. Orcas Island is another great one. Both are skateparks in unusual locations that are still amazing—people from all over the world go there to check them out.

Q: If you built a skatepark, people from all over the world would want to come see it...

That’s right. Stadiums, tennis courts, and the like don’t have that charm—you can build one in your own backyard, so why go to different cities just to see the exact same thing?

Q: Do you currently have any ongoing design projects?

One big project we’re working on right now is the design of a skatepark in Amsterdam. We don’t know the budget yet, but it seems like we’ll have a lot of creative freedom, which is awesome~ We’ve already submitted our design. Officials in Amsterdam said they would raise funds for this project and plan to build a park with a budget around £670,000.

It’s going to be a major project—this skatepark will have everything: competition-grade bowls, a larger mix of various pools, an amazing street section with obstacles, and even a plaza at the front similar to the Love Park setup, with flat ground and ledges. This skatepark is going to be a real melting pot, featuring all the essentials and some never-before-seen terrain. I love trying new things—even if not every attempt succeeds, at least we learn through the process. You won’t know what works until you try, instead of just dreaming about it.

The whole skatepark design is stone-focused, so we need to make sure the construction crew is solid. Since Amsterdam is mostly swampy with very wet soil, we’ll need 30-foot (around 9+ meters) pillars for the foundation, then a flat slab on top of those, and then we start building the skatepark on the slab. Pretty wild, right?

Text | Matt Broadley

Translation | Xiaowen

Source | Kingpin