A truly unique project in the heart of Folkestone, F51 brings to Kent the world’s first purpose built multi storey skate park, with 2100sqm of skateable surface.
b&m acted as Quantity Surveyors on the £17m eye-catching building, which achieved practical completion last week. The venue will now open to the public on 4th April and bookings are already being taken. Prior to this, two launch parties are being held over the next two weeks and will bring together specially invited guests and the local community to celebrate its completion.
As well as extensive skating options, F51 is also host to the tallest climbing venue in the South East, including 350sqm of climbing surface and a dedicated bouldering area up to 4m high. The ground floor features world class boxing facilities, a café open to the public and a multi-use creative space.
The project has some truly unique elements, including the concrete skating bowls on the first floor which are suspended and have been left exposed, meaning visitors can see them from below when heading through the ground floor. The design of the bowls was developed and engineered by Maverick, well known nationally for championing better skateparks. The second and third floors offer specially designed street and flow sections, created out of timber and designed by Cambian Action Sports. Artwork across each floor has also been created by Roo and London based Faces.
To be managed by The Sports Trust, the project will transform the opportunities locally, and nationally, for skate, bike and climbing enthusiasts. Local students will have the ability to purchase low-cost membership which will grant regular after-school access and there will be special events and opportunities for the local community to be involved.
This challenging project is an incredible feat of construction and engineering that has required a lot of collaboration and innovation across the entire project team. We are thrilled to have been part of the team, acting as Quantity Surveyors, delivering this stunning project that will provide such incredible benefits to those locally.
