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

A few months ago, Rune came to London to shoot for Sidewalk's Concrete Dinosaurs project. Being in the UK, on a rainy day, Kingspin seized the opportunity to interview Rune. This interview covered his skatepark design company Glifberg&Lykke, the economic benefits of a good skatepark, the influence 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, also known as a bowl. That design has been imitated countless times. Since that obstacle came out, many people have started designing bowls that way. I originally designed it that way simply because there wasn’t much space. Back then, vertical launch ramps took up a lot of room. I designed that obstacle in a garage, and the only usable space was a hole in the middle. So I thought, why not make it curved on both sides? That way, the height you descend and ascend would be the same. As long as you had enough speed, you could go up, get caught, and go up again—effectively doubling the size of a regular ramp.

Q: It’s like using a bowl ramp with a slope?

Yes, the one I designed had the steepest angle (90 degrees). The steeper the ramp, the better, because you get more speed. Mine was 2 feet (about 60 cm) tall—that was the first idea I turned into reality. At the time, I worked with Remy Stratton. I shared the idea with him, and he was very supportive. Team Pain built that obstacle for us, and it was a huge 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 basically don’t handle the construction part. Back then, in Copenhagen, F

Later, there was another project in a place about a 30-minute drive from Copenhagen. My friend Ebbe was working on the design with someone else at the time, and they asked me to join them. That’s when we gradually became obsessed with designing skateparks. We never imagined we’d end up going down this path — we just wanted to contribute something to our hometown skatepark, which I’d been skating since 1988. As more projects came along, my business partner Ebbe and I decided to start this design company together, because I felt I had good ideas, I was passionate about the work, and my reputation back home in Denmark speaks for itself.

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

Pleasing everyone — that’s super hard. I think the focus of our designs is to showcase beauty. We want the skatepark to look amazing, not just be functional — although that’s obviously the basic requirement. The most important thing for us is that you can tell it’s a skatepark from far away.

Most skateparks are designed so there are no dead ends, so skaters don’t have to stop too often mid-run. Many of the parks we design have entrances and exits intentionally placed, and the layout avoids those areas. I think flow is essential — it’s the bare minimum. So when we design a skatepark, it has to not only flow well but also look good.

Q: What’s your favorite project of yours?

I’m not sure, but Streetdome is great. I think the park area outside the bowl is really well designed and interesting. The whole park has different zones, but it all feels cohesive, and skaters will definitely love it. It accommodates all types of skaters, but all-arounders are probably the best fit — guys like Curren Caples, Grant Taylor, that kind of level.

We just designed a smaller skatepark located near Galten, not far from Denmark’s second-largest city, Aarhus. That one turned out really well too — it’s fun, with a circular street section around the outside and a bowl in the middle.

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

Good looks. They’re fun to skate and they look great. That’s what we’re most proud of — our goal is to design beautiful skateparks.

Q: Exactly, aesthetics matter a lot, but many people overlook that.

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

Q: The Olympics are coming up — where do you see the future of skatepark design heading?

I think a lot of 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 could go anywhere and it wouldn’t make much difference.

Skaters are naturally curious. They want to go out, travel, take photos, explore new environments — they’ll even travel for skateboarding. If the government invests a million dollars to build an amazing skatepark, gets the word out, and skaters find it online and want to visit, then not only locals but people from elsewhere will come. That means money flowing into the local economy — malls, hotels, bars will all benefit. In a small rural town, that economic boost can really help. At least that’s how it works in Denmark, from what I’ve seen.

Many kids from suburbs or rural areas head to the big city when they turn 17 or 18 because that’s where the fun is. But if their hometown has something that hooks them — like a great skatepark — it can keep those young people around and energize the local 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. A lot of people might disagree with me, but personally, I’m convinced. The investment might not pay off in a year, but within 5–10 years? Totally possible. The city where Streetdome is located even has signs for the skatepark on the highway, just like they do for landmarks like Stonehenge.

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

No matter how much the government originally spent, the tourists who come to visit will more than cover the cost. We’re traveling right now and planning to hit Livingston — they built a skatepark there 30 years ago, and the government is still making money off it. We’re going there to spend money. If you’re trying to convince the government to build a skatepark, that’s a solid case to make.

Q: Of all the skateparks that aren’t designed by you, which one do you wish you had designed?

The Black Pearl in the Cayman Islands — I wish I’d designed that one. The street section is a bit random, but the park feels like something out of a claymation movie, which is awesome. It’s also one of the first large-scale skateparks that combined all types of features. I haven’t been there in years. Orcas Island is another good one. Both parks are in weird locations but are absolutely amazing — people from all over the world go just to check them out.

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

Exactly. Football fields, tennis courts, and the like don’t have that uniqueness—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 yet know what the budget will be, but it seems like we’ll have quite a bit of creative freedom—how awesome is that? We’ve already submitted our design. Officials in Amsterdam said they would raise funds for the project and plan to build a park at around the £670,000 level.

It’s going to be a major project, with everything you could want in a skatepark: a bowl for competitions, a larger hybrid pool, and an amazing street section with obstacles. There will also be a plaza area at the front of the park, similar to Love Park, with flat ground and ledges. This skatepark is going to be a real melting pot, featuring all the essentials as well as some terrain that hasn’t been designed before. I love trying new things—even if not every attempt succeeds—but at least we learn through the process. You have to try to find out what works, rather than just dreaming about it.

The entire skatepark design is stone-based, so we need to make sure the construction crew is solid. Because Amsterdam is basically built on swampland with very wet soil, the foundation requires 30-foot (about 9-meter) pillars, then a slab is placed on top of those, and the skatepark is built on the slab. Pretty impressive stuff.

Text | Matt Broadley

Translation | Xiaowen

Source | Kingpin