Conception d’un planchodrome (skatepark) au Parc Benny

Distinctions

Discipline : Landscape & Territories

Categories : Landscape Architecture / Sports & recreation : Gold certification

The redevelopment of Benny Park transforms a sports site that no longer met the needs of the neighborhood into an active, inclusive, and unifying public space at the heart of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. Marked by aging facilities, including an old ball field and an outdated skatepark, the site no longer offered the quality, safety, or versatility expected by a diverse and growing population.

The project stands out for its ability to make Benny Park a true model of participatory urban transformation. Driven by local organizations, young users, families, and committed stakeholders such as the NDG Skatepark Coalition and the Montreal Skateboard Association, the approach directly influenced the design choices. It helped to bring forth a strong collective vision and create a place rooted in its community, equitable in its uses, and able to welcome different generations.

The park is now organized around a contemporary skatepark designed in close collaboration with its future users. A main pathway structures the site, connects its various components, and facilitates its appropriation. Around this axis, the modules and facilities form a coherent, fluid, and intuitive ensemble. The progressively challenging courses, the diversity of technical elements, and the quality of the materials support both the performance of experienced individuals and the learning of beginners.

The intervention thus goes beyond the creation of a specialized facility. Rest areas, visual breakthroughs, and a well-thought-out landscape composition reinforce the safety, readability of the place, and coexistence between skaters, families, and other park users. The topography, plantings, and circulation contribute to this overall consistency and give the site a clear identity.

Today, Benny Park acts as a true anchor point for the neighborhood. It restores a strong identity to a neglected site while consolidating the social fabric. The project demonstrates that a skatepark can become much more than a practice spot: a vibrant, shared, and sustainable public space where design supports both sporting excellence and collective life.

The project in images