La Marina de València is opening its doors to the public, both literally and metaphorically. Our Strategic Plan envisions the creation of five Puertas de La Marina (Doors to La Marina). These are five main points of entry with shared-use routes for pedestrians and cyclists. One of those points of entry is Plaça de l’Ona (The Square of the Wave), located between Varadero building and La Base (formerly known as Alinghi). This is the first door to La Marina to undergo a transformation, setting the stage for the upcoming interventions and upgrades in the remaining four points of entry. In the first phase of the transformation process, only half of the plaza will be reshaped through the introduction of a new element in the public space – a skatepark.
Skatepark
By creating a skatepark, Consorcio València 2007 is responding to a long-standing demand from the local community of skaters and more specifically – the young enthusiasts who gather daily in Tinglado 2 to practice. Furthermore, skateboarding, which was recently recognized as an olympic sport and is expected to make its olympic debute in Tokyo in 2020, has proven to be a great asset in urban tourism and many cities, like Barcelona for example, have invested heavily in setting up infrastructure that responds to the growing interest in the sport.
Beyond a simple skate track, the project envisions the creation of a wider public square equipped with shade, kiosks, playful interactive elements and plenty of spaces to rest, relax and observe.
Summer of 2017
Consorcio Valencia 2007 (CV07) begins working on what would become the forth space in Valencia designated for skating. CV07 formes a monitoring commission, which includes various representatives – from independent skaters through skating schools and clubs to public organizations. The role of the monitoring commission is to specify the type of skatepark that is needed as well as the characteristics of its immediate surroundings.
June 12, 2018
La Marina launches a competition for the design of the new skatepark.
July 20, 2018
The competition closes.
July 27, 2018
The Jury reviews the administrative documentation of 10 tender proposals. Only 8 proceed to the next stage. The Jury is formed by 6 members: some with background in urbanism and architecture and others with experience in skateboarding and sports.
September 7, 2018
The Jury evaluates the technical characteristics of the admitted 8 tender proposals.
November 5, 2018
Exposition opening. The eight proposals which were admitted to the competition are displayed on the first floor of the building of Consorcio València 2007. The exposition is open to the public from 8.00 to 18.30h (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) and from 8.00 to 15.00h (Thursday and Friday) until December 3, 2018.
October 31, 2018
The winning team is contracted. Slogan of the winning proposal: Marjal Urbana (Urban Swamp). Winning team: Straddle 3, Carpe and CivicWise. About the winners: Straddle3 is a Barcelona-based collective of architects with more than 20 years of experience. The collective has a number of successfully completed skatepark and sports facility projects on their portfolio. Carpe is a design consultancy studio working in the field of architecture, urban design and communication. The team develops tools that empower citizenship, improve social interaction among citizens and their relation with the surroundings. CivicWise is an international distributed and open network that promotes citizen engagement, developing concrete actions and projects based on collective intelligence, civic innovation and open design.
November 20, 2018
First public participatory session of co-design.
The winning team presents the project to the public and receives feedback from the future users of the space. Special invitations are extended to more than 30 representatives of the local skating community, school monitors, athletes, members of the Valencian Skating Federation, sports competition organizers, mothers, fathers, and children who acitvely skate. The session is attended by 22 people. A summary of the discussion can be found here.
November 27, 2018
Second public participatory session of co-design.
Participants in the session are split in thematic working groups. They are also given the chance to experiment with and imagine in situ how the new skatepark will look like, feel like and fit in its surrounding urban environment. The session is attended by 15 people. A summary of the discussion can be found here.The construction of the skatepark is scheduled to take place in the spring-summer of 2019.