Skatepark doubles as emergency reservoir in event of flooding

Danish designers Nordarch have created the Rabalder Parken skatepark, which is connected to water canals and doubles up as a reservoir in the case of flooding.

We recently came across Repair the Rockaways, Farmville-inspired web game that enables users to virtually rebuild homes on the region hit by Hurricane Sandy, while also helping real reconstruction jobs on the ground. Now Danish designers Nordarch have created the Rabalder Parken skatepark, which is connected to water canals and doubles up as a reservoir in the case of flooding.

According to the company, Denmark has increasingly seen heavy rainstorms over the past few decades as a result of climate change, which has resulted in numerous floods that have damaged roads and houses. Rather than create a standalone drainage system that would take up public space when not in use, the designers realised that the bowl-like structure of skateparks could hold excess water in the case of overflowing banks. Located at the Roskilde Musicon complex on the island of Zealand, the developers set about creating an irrigation structure that would direct floodwaters into the skatepark in the event of a flood.

The construction, which was recently nominated by Dansk Beton for the Sustainable Concrete 2013 award, integrates a public leisure facilty with a potentially lifesaving system – saving money and space. Architects – could your next project take inspiration from the practicality of the Rabalder Parken?

Spotted by: Murray Orange