Saint-Gobain, Official Supporter of Paris 2024, has created the Saint-Gobain Skate Game: a skatepark featuring 3D-printed concrete modules. Located on the Esplanade de Paris La Défense, this 400m² skatepark represents a giant pinball machine and will be open from July 18 to August 11, 2024. It is designed to be accessible to all, including beginners, experienced skateboarders, families, and individuals with disabilities. After the Olympic Games, this facility will be reinstalled in a town in the Paris region as part of Paris 2024’s “Legacy” program.
“With the Saint-Gobain Skate Game, Saint-Gobain proposes an emblematic venue to promote the practice of sport during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, while reinforcing its commitment to offering innovative and sustainable solutions with a smaller environmental footprint,” says Laurence Pernot, VP Communications Saint-Gobain Group.
The skatepark is the first in the world to feature 3D-printed concrete modules, allowing for the precise use of materials, which reduces resource consumption and waste production. It is composed of 8 modules, including 2 launchers, 1 A-Frame, 1 volcano, 1 double volcano, and 3 benches, custom-built at the Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix plant in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
This innovative project involved collaboration with specialists in urban environment planning and sliding space design, alongside the non-profit organization Pratikable. Peter Paul Cornelissen, 3D Business Unit Manager at Weber Beamix, stated: “3D printing makes it possible to converge the expectations of the various parties involved, from design to use, in terms of environmental footprint, creativity, production speed, and gliding sensation.”
Several Parisian skateboarding clubs previewed some modules in Eindhoven and provided positive feedback. Hortense, co-founder of the Concrete Surf Riders Paris club, remarked: “These 3D-printed concrete modules are beautifully crafted. The surface is perfectly suited to skateboarding, neither too slippery nor too rough.” Haleksgang, a member of the O Labo club, added: “Our test on these modules was really conclusive. Saint-Gobain got it right.”
