Le Quennevais Skate Park, Jersey
A landmark project for urban sports in Jersey, a long-awaited world-class skate park at Le Quennevais was greeted with huge enthusiasm as hundreds of delighted islanders turned up to see the opening.
The project was carried out for The Government of Jersey by main contractors Brenwal, who built the approximately 3000m² skatepark, including over 2000m2 of rideable space made of flat, inclined and curved reinforced concrete slabs. Features include a variety ledges, rails, and other rideable obstacles.
Oli Goguelin, Project Manager at Brenwal commented: “The park has something for everyone, from the complete novice to the seasoned pro. The initial design was comprehensive, but the final product is a step further and is quite impressive.”
“The skatepark now features a 10-foot-deep bowl at one end – something that is essential to being able to hold competitions at an international standard. We also have a fit for purpose stair set with ledges and a rail either side, multiple manual pads, a jump box and a vast expanse of skateable ledges and rails, all surrounded by silky smooth concrete for the perfect run up and landing.”
The skate park was constructed on an unused section of a playing field in the northwest corner of the Les Quennevais Playing Fields, adjacent to an outbuilding used as changing rooms – which already had services and drainage infrastructure, making it an ideal site.
Enabling works included the diversion of an irrigation main and the relocation of a metal shelter with seating, as well as the excavation of trial pits to prove ground conditions across the site.
The entire skate park is built from reinforced concrete – from floor slabs to ledges and pre-cast concrete copings, along with a 4m tall screening wall. The floor slabs, inclines and curved transitions were constructed using a specialist mix including a coloured pigment to achieve a more natural look in keeping with the surroundings.
Further works included the Installation of a 4m high ball stop fence; the construction of footpaths and paved areas; the installation of a timber perimeter fence to the north and landscaping.
Landscaping was an important consideration on the project and the construction team were advised by Nurture Ecology throughout the process. The site is adjacent to Jersey’s Site of Special Interest ESSI001; Les Blanches Banques, and it was therefore important to establish the ground rules quickly to ensure there were no adverse effects on the surrounding environment, habitats and ecology.
The landscaping included planting Marram grass which is well established across the sports pitch boundary on the Les Blanche Banques. The works also utilised natural by-products of local tree surgeons in the form of wood chippings for both practical and aesthetic reasons. New trees were also planted on the back of the new embankment to support the more mature trees in the area and help promote ‘corridors’ for local ecology travelling across the sports fields.
Challenges of the project included the fact that the site comprised approximately 70mm of topsoil laid over pure dune sand – not the easiest material to work with in terms of traction, and difficult for deep excavation without over-digging or the need for serious ground support.
To ensure both time and cost efficiency, Brenwal used comprehensive ground support systems shipped to the island to allow for the installation of deep drainage and most notably, the large soakaway on the southern site border. This meant that the works did not intrude on the adjacent sports pitches either with large battered back excavations, or the associated stockpiling of excavated material for reuse and backfilling.
Oli Goguelin said: ‘Another key challenge was the design evolution which took place once work had started on site. This led to the re-working of some of the site levels and a lot of the finer details regarding layout, number, and positioning of obstacles. However, everyone involved pulled out all the stops, and with an emphasis on collaborative working, we have been able to deliver the skatepark that is so popular today.”
He concluded: “Team effort led to the successful delivery of the project. Everyone involved put 110% into the work they had to achieve. At one point we were onsite 24/7 for a week in fairly unfavourable conditions. Some long hours were spent getting things right – and it all paid off. A special thanks for Mind Work Ramps and Fabricrete for completing that difficult week.”
“This was a landmark project for urban sports in Jersey, and we at Brenwal were excited to have been successful in our tender. The project has allowed us to showcase our capability to complete larger schemes, including bringing in the expertise of specialist subcontractors from Europe, and working collaboratively with the client, stakeholders and subcontractors. The client, along with the wider Jersey community are delighted with the finished article.”
The post Le Quennevais Skate Park Jersey appeared first on Premier Construction News.