Engineers and architects deal in a wide variety of the infrastructure, urban development, and industrial site layout that we encounter every day. We drive over bridges, bike along roads, and saunter through courtyards that have all been touched in some way or another by the AEC industry. Until recently (and I’m not sure why it hadn’t occurred to me before), I learned that these folks also play a huge role in the design of a particular kind of structure that resembles a haven for a vast and ever-growing American subculture: The skate park.
It’s not surprising that engineers and architects are involved in these structures when you think about the intricate slopes, curves, and rails that go into the design of a skate park. There’s an artistic element to the sought after shapes that skateboarders enjoy gliding or grinding their trucks over, and there’s an even more uniquely mathematical element to how they work.
These AEC professionals are often responsible for how a park functions. It shouldn’t hold stormwater when it rains, so the park requires practical drainage. Structurally, the concrete must be held up by rebar so it doesn’t crack under temperature or pressure changes. And the angles can’t be shallow or overtly vertical, otherwise skaters have too little or too much momentum. All the civil engineering and landscape architecture that goes into a park ensures that skaters have the best possible experience when hopping on their boards.
So, a few months ago, when I was invited to a ribbon cutting with our team at the Southside Community Center Skate Park in Richmond, Virginia, I jumped at the opportunity to visit the new park and get a closer look. There, I met Robert Thomas, a project engineer for our Richmond urban land development team. He rode by on his board and was decked out in jeans, a red polo, and a tan baseball cap that sported an embroidered dog. We hadn’t met yet, and it wasn’t until I saw the Timmons Group logo on his shirt that I realized he worked for the firm.
When Robert joined the Timmons Group urban development group in November 2021, he didn’t know that one of his first projects with the team would be an ironic 360 degree jump from a previous role.
Robert has always enjoyed skateboarding and mastering new tricks. And designing skateboard ramps… And building them in friends’ backyards. Actually, Robert has been involved in skateboarding culture for so long that when the opportunity arose to align his passion with a career, it felt like the skate gods were saying, “we got your back.”
Robert graduated from NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina where he studied civil engineering. In his senior design class, he had the opportunity to work on a variety of jobs, including several with the Timmons Group Raleigh residential design team. “We had mentors from all the engineering companies around Raleigh, and I worked with the folks at Timmons Group a lot on theoretical projects. It was a pillar experience of earning my civil engineering degree,” Robert said.
Pre-school, Robert lived in the Outer Banks and crafted residential pools with Artisan Skateparks, a builder who specializes in concrete-based projects. So, when the chance came to join Artisan again after his graduation to work on a skate park in Richmond, Robert took the leap to a new city.
The chance to work on the job in Richmond was the perfect next step for Robert to see the process of how a skate park is designed and built. He was a few weeks into the new project with Artisan when he met the teaming partners. “When the Timmons Group truck showed up, I was like, ‘Oh, I know these guys,’” he recalled.
And, you guessed it, the project was none other than the Southside Community Center Skate Park, the park honored by the ribbon cutting where we met just a few months ago. The project was a collaboration between the City of Richmond, Richmond Parks and Recreation, Worley Associates, Artisan Skateparks, and Timmons Group—A 360 degree revelation in Robert’s passions and career path.
Southside Community Center Site Plan Rendering. Timmons Group provided site and civil services, landscape architecture, urban design permitting, wetland delineation, and geotechnical services for the project.
Robert connected with the Timmons Group engineers and, next thing he knew, he was working for our urban design team on the exact same project from a different angle.
Robert has since taken on local design projects at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Rocketts Landing, Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital, Candlelight Circle Apartments, and the new Arthur Ashe Boulevard Development. In all these experiences, he’s anxiously awaiting the next opportunity to get involved with another skatepark.
Left to right: Robert Thomas, Amelia Wehunt, and Scott Wiley with Timmons Group and Jennifer Weatherford with Worley Associates
When he built his first skate park in Boone, North Carolina, Robert recalls ‘practically forming concrete with his bare hands’ to get the job done. “It was a college town, and we wanted everyone to have a safe and fun park to use,” he said. The Town eventually took down the park, but in doing so enlisted Robert and his skating friends to help design a new one. “We raised the money, we created the initial design, and then they came in and built that new park. And it’s a community staple now.”
From an engineering perspective, Robert says his experience comes from the field. “My strength is hands on engineering. In the skateboard world, the private parks are a huge scene. I have designed several backyard parks on peoples’ properties. People use old pool parts, concrete, water pipes, and masonry to build their own ramps, pump tracks, and cantilevers. We’re extremely resourceful. It’s engineering, it’s just not what people expect,” Robert said.
This ‘on the fly’ engineering mindset has prepared Robert for a full time career as a civil engineer, one that will hopefully continue to allow him opportunities to apply his skate park skills for the future of our communities.
Pump track at a park that Robert designed and built
Spine feature at Crabtree Skate Spot that Robert funded, designed, and built
Years of in-the-field design led Robert to pursue a career in civil engineering. Passion is something we all search for in our careers and Robert is grateful to be part of such an eager urban development team at Timmons Group. “I think the Urban team has so much to offer.” Robert said, “Each one of us has our strengths and I’m excited to continually grow and learn from our outstanding team.”
Robert Thomas, skater or engineer? “Both,” he answered.
Interested in working with Robert and our urban design team? Check out our open positions here.
