What is the F51 Skate Park?
The F51 Skate Park is the world’s first multi-storey skate park, based in Folkestone, Kent. It has undoubtedly had a substantial positive impact on the local community during its seven months of being open. From a boxing gym and climbing centre to a café space, it is a credit to its small town and an excellent addition to its community.
Designed by Hollaway Studio, it has a unique design that stands out within the Kent seaside town. What’s more, we had the pleasure of working with them to supply and install a bank of EasyGate SPD-R Speed Gates, helping to prevent unauthorised access to the building.
Pictured: F51 Skate Park Entrance
About F51 Skate Park’s building and its community benefit
After opening in the Spring of 2022, F51 Skate Park has been a success and is a beautiful sight for observers and users. Also, it has been decorated with local art, demonstrating the community feel that the building lives and breathes. With three floors, it can cater to different members’ abilities, including the first Bowl Floor, the second Street Floor for beginners, and the third Flow Floor.
The massive impact that F51 Skate Park has on the local community is what the architects strived to create. From offering £1 membership for children to being situated in one of the town’s most deprived wards, it aims to regenerate a generation. No wonder the construction company, Jenner Group, nominated F51 for the Southeast ‘Community Benefit’ RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) award.
Keeping F51 Skate Park users safe and secure
With a bank of SPD-R Speed Gates that feature 36 pairs of sensors each to detect tailgating, F51 can keep users safe and secure. Additionally, the unique staggered placement of the speed gates makes the most of the limited space in the entrance area alongside bespoke cabinets to place the sensors in the most efficient areas for a higher level of security. Not only this, but the staggered design can also allow for a bi-directional flow, preventing congestion and allowing for the utmost convenience to skaters entering and exiting. As well as this, the brushed stainless steel complements the industrial appearance of the centre while ensuring that the product is hardwearing in case of scratches from skateboards.
A lasting impact of F51 Skate Park
Now with seven months of success, it has made some remarkable achievements. For example, it was a public vote winner for the Civic and Cultural Interior of the year by Dezeen (architecture, design, and interiors magazine). In addition, it was voted ‘highly commended’ at the CABE (Chartered Association of Building Engineers) Built Environment Awards. We have high hopes for what the next seven months of F51 has to offer to its community.
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