SE2: Toms River Skatepark Design: April 2008

Announcement of Project Progress
Math, Science and Technology Application

Contact: Jim Phillips, Senior
Period 5/6
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, March 19, 2008

Systems Engineering II: Toms River Skatepark Design
Sandy Hook, New Jersey, March 2008
Figure 1-1 Jim Phillips

Jim Phillips, the head of this project, is a current student attending the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, located on scenic Sandy Hook, New Jersey. For his Systems Engineering II senior design project, Phillips (Figure 1-1) is planning, designing, and constructing a scaled model of a skatepark for Toms River, New Jersey.

One of the most overlooked but growing problems in today’s society is the pressing issue of children that lack a fun and safe environment in which to skateboard. Although it may sound ridiculous, this is a very real problem that faces skateboarders of Dover Township everyday. Each day, skaters are constantly being harassed, hassled and even arrested for doing something that they love. It is this predicament that fueled Phillips’ desire to design and model a skate park that fits the needs of Dover Township. Since the start of this endeavor, a great deal of work has been completed, and the following is a detailed account of the progress on the project made thus far, as well as the benefits and expectations of the final design.
Project Description
Phillips began this enormous undertaking by first engaging in extensive research, on topics that included skatepark material, essentials in skatepark design, and architectural modeling. After gathering as much information as possible, three alternative solutions were formulated. The first of these solutions was a concrete “Plaza” style park, the skatepark of choice for many skaters, which resembles the local downtown streetscape. The second solution was a Vert themed skatepark, which included a large, 15 foot half pipe, as well as several banks with hubbas and rails situated near the center of the park. The third solution was a “hybrid” design, which combined the plaza style street park with numerous vert and transition ramps. After examining the pros and cons of each design, Phillips selected alternate solution #3 as the best option, due of its unique fusion of both street and vert elements that would provide the skater with an innovative environment in which to invent new tricks and unlimited lines.
After creating a crude prototype and drafting a myriad of orthographic and isometric drawings of the intended design, Phillips began to construct the final model. First, on a sheet of 1/4” plywood, he sketched the sides of ramps, and then proceeded to cut out each side, using a scroll saw (Figure 1-2). After that, he utilized the band saw to cut the inner ramp support ribs, made of balsa wood, to their appropriate lengths. Finally, Phillips fabricated any special accessories needed for the construction of individual ramps, such as hubbas or handrails, which were also made using balsa wood. Once all of the individual pieces of each ramp were created, it was time to begin assembly. Using a glue gun, Phillips meticulously attached the inner ramp ribs to both side pieces for each ramp, as shown in Figure 1-3. Following the assembly of the frame of the ramps, large sheets of aluminum flashing were
Lastly, after construction is complete, Phillips plans to paint the ramps to further add to their realism, and attached the ramps to their appropriate positions within the park. Finally, surrounding the model skatepark with a small fence made of wire mesh will signify it’s highly anticipation completion, a goal that he plans to achieve in the very near future.
Although the final model is not quite finished, Phillips has high expectations for the park. He is confident that the architectural model will have an extremely neat and professional appearance. In addition, he also believes that the park’s unique style and incredible flow will appeal to the skateboarders of Dover Township, while the safe, pleasurable, and budget-friendly aspects of the park will appeal to the citizens. To evaluate how well the outcome of his project meets his initial expectations, Phillips will employ several strategies. First, he will analyze the park design and certify that it fits in the required space, and that the ramps are of feasible size and style. Next, he will examine the model, and confirm that it is realistic and of professional appearance. To evaluate the success of the design itself, Phillips will refer to his fellow skateboarding peers and obtain their opinion on whether or not they think it is an effective park design. Lastly, after the project has been completed, he anticipates presenting it to the Toms River Board of Chosen Freeholders in the hopes that they will see the park as an excellent idea and begin construction on its real life counterpart. This will be the ultimate test of his expectations.
Working on the project greatly benefited Phillips’ understanding of technology, science, and math. It taught him the importance of Ergonomics to skatepark design (Figure 1-4). He learned that, when formulating the layout for a skate park, the designer must always keep in mind the theory of ergonomics. If a skate park is to be enjoyable, it must have the appropriate “flow.” This is to say that the ramps are all positioned in a way that allows a skateboarder to ride around the park in a smooth manner, with little or no pushing. He also discovered that ramp position negates how popular specific areas of the park will be. If a ramp combination is set up using the appropriate ergonomics, it will allow the rider to approach the obstacle with accurate speed, thus making the ramp more amusing. If the ergonomics of the park is imbalanced, one area of the skate park will be more congested than others, causing over-crowding. Overall, Phillips gained a greater appreciation for the science of skatepark layouts, and learned that the more flow a skate park has, the more popular and enjoyable it will be.
Phillips also was confronted with many mathematical tasks during the course of this project, such as the dimensioning of the ramps, as well as creating a scale to use for the model. For the final model, he decided to use the scale of 3” = 1’, which is the maximum scale that would fit on a sheet of plywood. This was obtained by taking the dimensions of the park, and dividing them into the dimensions of a standard sheet of plywood. From this, Phillips determined that the park could be not be larger than three-times its initial size, thus leading to his final scale.
When drawing in scale, he would need to convert the measurements from the preliminary model to the dimensions of the final design. This required a great deal of measuring the first model in centimeters, and then converting it to feet and inches, which were used to successfully draw and dimension the drawings done in Auto CAD (Figure 1-5). All in all, it is very evident that Phillips’ math skill benefited greatly from the experience of working on this project.
The main technology involved in the overall design of his project was the type of material that will be used in the final construction of the park; the Pro-Series. After reviewing many material options, Phillips decided to use the Pro-Series design for his park because of its superior all-around performance. He learned that the Pro-Series is an all-steel building method that is coated in a durable MaxGrip powder-coat paint finish. Although there are many distinct product lines to choose from when constructing a skate park, about 80% of the municipalities that build outdoor parks opt for the all-steel system, due to the myriad of complex technologies that make up the Pro-Series method. This knowledge of skatepark material technology greatly benefited Phillips throughout the course of his entire project.
Although all of the work completed for this project was his own, Phillips was not alone on this venture. Many of the major decisions were made with the help of his mentor. Although located across the company, his mentor was able to provide him with most of the information that he needed to create an effective and fun skatepark. Working as a sales representative at a major skatepark construction company, he was able to share with Phillips the essentials for skatepark design, and even show his drawings to the chief architects for thorough analysis. Having a mentor proved a very helpful asset throughout Phillips’ project.
All in all, the Toms River Skatepark Design project proved to be both a challenging and rewarding task for young Jim Phillips. Throughout the designing and construction of his park design, he learned about the science of ergonomics, the importance of mathematics, as well as the many advances in skate park material technology that allowed him to design a park that is expected to be safe, enjoyable, affordable, and durable. Overall, Phillips has high expectations that the park will be enjoyed by all, for its unique blending of both street and vert elements provides any skateboarder with a new and fun environment. This project has allowed Jim to grow as a person, and has reminded him of what the sport of skateboarding has always been about; personal discovery and pushing oneself to the limit.