Livingston 'Livi' Skatepark, Almondside, Livingston

Livingston 'Livi' Skatepark is a purpose-built outdoor concrete skatepark in Almondvale Park, completed in 1980 and opened in 1981 by Livingston Development Corporation to designs by Iain Urquhart, executed by Rainbow Construction Ltd. Later extensions date to 1992, designed by Kenny Omond, and 2015, by Gravity Engineering Ltd. Located above the south bank of the River Almond, the skatepark has a landscaped setting in public park grounds.

The earliest part of the skatepark, from 1980–81, is at the northeast end of the site. It consists of two large adjacent features of shotcrete (pressurised concrete) construction, orientated northwest-southeast. The Double Bowl, also known as the Pool, is formed of two interlocking coped circular bowls with flattened bases, each around nine metres in diameter, one deep and one shallow. The coping was added in 1987. The Reservoir, also with flattened base, measures approximately 24 by 18 metres, with a banked carving area to the northwest called 'Andover Bank' and a halfpipe to the southeast.

A curving concrete wallhead, often with graffiti murals on its inner southeast-facing elevation, defines the northern edge of the decks (flat platforms) of the deep bowl of the Double Bowl and Reservoir. On its outer northwest elevation, the wallhead forms the vertical top part of a climbing wall of textured concrete that rises from a splayed base at ground level. Two flights of concrete steps give access to this part of the skatepark from the riverbank below.

The 1992 extension comprises two elongated parallel bowls extending perpendicular southwest from the Reservoir, separated by a small hip, and a separate, larger 'mole-hill'.

At the southwest end of the skatepark, the 2015 extension consists of a rectangular bowl, fullpipe, and two round bowls or pools. A street/beginners area, completed in 2015, is located in the triangular area between the 1981 halfpipe and 1992 extension. It consists of a horseshoe-plan circuit of slopes, one section with ledge and flatrail, around a central area of shallow transitions.

A landscaped viewing area with elongated curving steps is sited on the higher slope east of the skatepark. There are boulders arranged individually and in groups on the grassed areas immediately around the skatepark and its access footpaths.

Skateboarding originated in 1950s California. Early skateboarders emulated the experience of surfing ocean waves on concrete and asphalt, first through basic modifications of children's kick scooters, and later on progressively more sophisticated boards and urethane wheels. Skateboarding spread globally in the 1960s and 1970s, developing its own distinct culture. Early skateparks mimicked the contours and curves of skateboarding's original 'found space' – culverts, tunnels and, famously, the emptied swimming pools of wealthy Los Angeles suburbs.

In 1976–77, skateboarding was on the rise in the UK. Newspapers and television reports proclaimed the arrival of a new 'craze' and skateboards were sold in their thousands. In Livingston, local skateboarder Kenny Omond met with Livingston Development Corporation on 7 July 1977 to discuss the possibility of an authentic, purpose-built skatepark for the town. He had seen first-hand the skating environments of California the previous year. Just one week following the meeting, the Livingston Post reported that skateboarding was "coming to Livingston", quoting Omond as optimistic about a grant and new facility for the sport.

Livingston was a young town. It had become Scotland's fourth New Town in 1962, with Livingston Development Corporation responsible for the housing schemes, roads, infrastructure and public spaces for its growing population. In 1975, the average age of incoming residents was just 23. Public recreation and amenity was a priority, and an outdoor exercise circuit known as a 'Trim Course' was opened in Almondvale Park in 1977.

In the months following Omond's meeting, the Chief Architect's and Planning Office took up the challenge to design a skatepark, writing to the Scottish Sports Council to request data and exploring its feasibility. The lead architect for the emerging project was Iain Urquhart. In January 1978, they presented recommendations for a skateboarding strategy to the Corporation Board and secured agreement for a large, central skatepark "to supplement the recreational facilities in the town, satisfy a growing demand and possibly absorb much of the energy which otherwise might find its expression in vandalism".

Iain Urquhart took a close interest and innovative approach to the skatepark design. With his wife, Dee Urquhart, who became a skateboarder herself, they travelled to California, visiting skateparks such as the Big O and the Skate Ranch in Marina del Rey. They met skateboarding pioneers and witnessed how they engaged with these concrete structures, performing ever more complex sequences of carves, kickturns and other moves. Urquhart also visited skateparks in Europe and southern England. Back in Livingston, he developed detailed plans inspired by what he saw, working with other Corporation architects, technicians and engineers to tailor them to the specific location earmarked in Almondvale Park.

Livingston Skatepark, with its integrated climbing wall, was built by Rainbow Pools Ltd in the second half of 1980 and was named the 'Rock'n'Roll Skatepark'. The total cost was £48,300, of which £21,250 came from the Scottish Sports Council as part of their grant scheme for 'Prototypes and Experimental Projects'. Livingston Development Corporation had applied on the basis of building not only the skatepark but developing a wider 'multi-sports landscape'. During the works, Urquhart helped apply the shotcrete himself using his own bespoke timber 'transition machine' to achieve the smooth surfaces required. Completed in late 1980, the skatepark was officially opened in May 1981 by Peter Heatly, Chair of the Scottish Sports Council, as part of a programme of sporting displays and skatepark demonstrations put together largely by Urquhart.

The skatepark was immediately recognised as a success. It became a draw for amateurs and professionals alike. Skateboarders from further afield camped out at the skatepark, and the Skateboarding Association noted it was "rapidly gaining a reputation as being one of the best facilities in Europe". Designed for competition standards, Livingston Skatepark hosted competitions from that summer. In 1982, Steve Caballero and Andy McGill from the famous Bones Brigade visited. Iain and Dee Urquhart remained closely involved in the skateboarding scene until Iain's death in 1983.

Kenny Omond, chair of the local skateboarding club since the late 1970s, continued to champion Livingston Skatepark as an important community and sporting resource during the 1980s and 1990s. He was influential in securing the skatepark's future at a time when the national 'craze' had passed and Livingston Development Corporation expressed concern about safety and 'youths with bikes'. An internal memo of 1984 even suggested filling in the bowls. Omond, however, pointed out that dedicated enthusiasts continued to use the park, and BMX riding, an emerging sport in the mid-1980s, could be accommodated.

The Corporation invested further with new coping and resurfacing works in 1987 and graffiti murals in 1991. In July 1991, the skatepark was part of another Bones Brigade tour including the renowned Tony Hawk. In the same year, Livingston Development Corporation agreed to a major extension to designs prepared by Omond, executed in 1992. In 2014, Kenny Omond rode Livingston Skatepark as one of the Queen's Baton Bearers ahead of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

West Lothian Council extended the skatepark for a third time to designs by Gravity Engineering Ltd, completed in 2015. The skatepark is used by skateboarders, bike and BMX riders, in-line and rollerskaters and scooter riders.