Project Name	Skateistan Skate Park
Location	Kabul, Afghanistan
Date	2007-present
End User	330 students weekly
Client	Skateistan, Director Oliver Percovich
Design Firms	Convic Design, IOU Ramps
Engineer	Engineer Moheen, Afghanyar Construction Company Ltd; Engineer Reza, Afghan National Olympic Committee
Skate Park Construction	Andreas Schützenberger, IOU Ramps
Funders	Embassy of Denmark; Embassy of Norway; Embassy of Germany; Nike Inc; Architecture for Humanity; Skateistan Denmark, Germany, Poland and USA; various individuals
Cost	$617 303 USD
Area	1800 sq m/19 380 sq ft

Murza Mohammadi performs a rock-n-roll to “fakie” on the mini ramp. Photo: Jacob Simkin/Skateistan

It is hard enough to get cities to implement permanent skate facilities—to do it in a place ravaged by destruction caused by civil wars and foreign invasions is a pretty radical idea. In June 2009, a coalition of local and international skateboarders came together to break ground in Kabul, Afghanistan, on the Skateistan Skate Park. Today, hundreds of local kids hit the ramps and half-pipes at this safe haven each week.

The project grew out of informal skateboarding sessions at an abandoned fountain in Kabul’s Mekroyan district. In 2007, Australian skaters Oliver Percovich and Sharna Nolan were joined by a number of local kids from the area. The group soon turned into a posse of young skaters and “Ollie” and Sharna decided to form Skateistan, the country’s first coed skateboarding school.

Australian skate park builders Convic Design were enlisted to work on an outdoor park and IOU Ramps from Germany agreed to build the ramps. Like many on the construction team, Andreas “Schutzi” Schützenberger, founder and director of IOU Ramps, was a little concerned at first but leaped into action.

Construction was no easy task. Tools and materials had to be shipped in from overseas, electricity would go out for long periods of time, and eye protection for local welders were little more than basic sunglasses. Once the heavy lifting was done the team added a little flavor to the park. A local volunteer was talking to a waiter at a nearby restaurant and heard about a man outside of town who had a few old Russian rockets in his backyard. “I always try to bring a little magic into the park and I thought a rocket would be unbelievable to put in,” Schutzi says. Within 24 hours, Skateistan had its signature ramp, the rocket wall.

While the complex is surrounded by fences with sniper screens and guards to protect the youth inside, the turmoil outside is forgotten as Pashtun youth share their boards with Tajiks and Hazaras. The center includes classrooms for after-school programs and access to computer training. For an hour in the park, kids spend an hour in the classrooms.

The building has few openings to protect the youth from snipers and gunfire. Photo: Jacob Simkin/Skateistan

Go Skateboarding Day in Kabul. Photo: Jacob Simkin/Skateistan