Under the Bridge: Köln, Germany (building): PHASE II & III
Under the bridge in Köln, Germany, a DIY skate spot had been started a few years ago with a quarter pipe and then lay stagnant. With some motivation from the Köln skaters, Phase II was underway, with a pump bump and quarter pipe. Money was gathered for bags of concrete, tools were purchased, trowels were customized, and a concrete truck even made a delivery of fresh ‘crete. We finished what we started and let the concrete sit to dry, and we waited…. and then the city interfered. They jack hammered a little hole in the pump bump, before they realized the skate spot was built solid, and built to last… They halted the destruction and re-grouped and started thinking that these skateboarders were working for free, building a playground for the “youth” to ride and the city of Köln didn’t have to put in a cent of their precious money. Some of the skaters and the city are currently in negotiations to see if they will destroy the spot, or let it stand. And then…….
Phase II. Digging & Building.
Setting the trannies for the quarter.Saving the dug out stones for filling material.Re-patterning the stones in place for filling.NarlaBrick stash on the concrete columns, saved from a year before.Pole Jam from found pole. I dont think the city liked that very much.Filling her up.Pole Jam ready to be concreted in.The Bridge over the Rhine.Manga sticker art collage.Stones and dirt and german cinder blocks.And a layer of concrete. Its like making a lasagna.Shovel tossing on more concrete.Perfection is not important at this stage in the game…Kölsch – the beer of Köln. Currently there are 14 different types of Kölsch, and they are all worthy when building your own skate spot. Guys in Dusseldorf however would disagree.Beuiler and his dog Governor and friend, taking a break.Governor her self. Shes currently travelling around the Pacific in a Yacht. Rich bitch.Still filling her up… more concrete.Getting the concrete to stay in the steeper parts is one of the more challenging parts.Almost time to let her dry before the finishing layer.Just barely hanging on without crumbling down the transition.Hand customized trowel for doing the transitions so the sharp corners dont dig in the soft concrete.And a layer of mesh wire for added stability.Setting the wire and trying to get it to stick to the transition without popping up.Contemplation is part of the game.
Several days later… PHASE III: Concrete & Finishing
The rough concrete was dry, and ready for the premium blend.A lot of work to make a concrete quarter pipe. Maybe we should have made a corner??Nevermind… the concrete truck is here. No going back now.The concrete isnt moldable for long… so everyone jumped into high gear!Improvision is the key to success! Or at least the key to not failing.Toss a bucket of concrete on, then smooth it out. Repeat.A lot of concrete for a pump bump. Hmmm. But SPEAK UP, or forever hold your peace….Getting the metal coping (or pool coping if you are more prepared) in place is crucial! Dont mess this part up. But use pool coping. Its way better. This was just a test run to see if the city would destroy it.Smooth out the icing on the cake and fill the gaps. More concrete!! Gotta go back to Home Depot or Bauhaus.Almost dry… critical time to get the transition smooth as possible… it will be like that for a long time.Finishing off the pump bump.This is just one way to do it. There are many ways. Some I am sure are better… But this worked.Smoothing out the concrete is a lot of work.Almost good enough.Still some big gaps to fill and no more concrete.So we picked up another 30 bags of concrete to finish it off.Its better for you than doing pilates and yoga combined!Delivering it is only half the job. Now you have to mix it.The concrete quarter pipe.Mixing up more crete.Connecting the quarter transition to the flat bottom.The jigsaw puzzle is almost complete.The final edges connected the concrete to the old stone pattern.The final photo. The rest is history.
6 thoughts on “Under the Bridge: Köln, Germany (building): PHASE II & III”
voll geil!!! aber,beton kommen lassen,dann war die aktion legal,oder? das selbe wollten wir ja auch machen,aber wir sind uns noch nicht ganz einig wo,hahahaha …..gibt zu viele ecken bei uns! dann zeigt ma bitte auch footage von den skate-sessions! lg.dennis
“Some of the skaters and the city are currently in negotiations to see if they will destroy the spot, or let it stand.” Hoffe das steht noch? Unter welcher Rheinbrücke issen das?
Whats up with the spot actually, still there or destroyed yet? And where is this thing. Looks like it`s worth a visit. Cheerio
I’ve been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this blog. Thanks, I’ll try and check back more often. How frequently you update your web site?
voll geil!!! aber,beton kommen lassen,dann war die aktion legal,oder? das selbe wollten wir ja auch machen,aber wir sind uns noch nicht ganz einig wo,hahahaha …..gibt zu viele ecken bei uns! dann zeigt ma bitte auch footage von den skate-sessions! lg.dennis
fucking sick
“Some of the skaters and the city are currently in negotiations to see if they will destroy the spot, or let it stand.” Hoffe das steht noch? Unter welcher Rheinbrücke issen das?
Whats up with the spot actually, still there or destroyed yet? And where is this thing. Looks like it`s worth a visit. Cheerio
I’ve been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this blog. Thanks, I’ll try and check back more often. How frequently you update your web site?