Janne Saario's Modern Skateparks

We've reported on modern skate parks before, but rarely have we seen such a perfect marriage of skating and landscape design as the one embodied by the Finnish Janne Saario. Saario started skating when he was six, eventually got sponsored, and through his experience riding around the world he developed an interest in designing landscapes. He's got his own firm now, with a specialty in skate parks. Check out our slideshow of some of his designs as well as this great video that shows him at work and at play. Slideshow

The massive Moon skate park will be part of a big multipark in Leppävaara, Espoo in Finland. It is made out of concrete, granite and steel and is a mixture of soft crater shaped transitions and common street obstacles. Construction is estimated to be ready in Autumn 2013.

For a dynamic look at Saario as both a skater and a landscape designer, check out this great video made by Element Skateboards. You'll see the designer riding his deck, laying out the Steel Park skatepark in Luela, Sweden, and even working in the woods near a summer house in Finland. All in all it's a lovely portrait that charts how a youthful passion has led to a concern for spacemaking, a desire to give kids a place to play, and the beginning of a career in design.

"Second Nature" A Documentary Film About Janne Saario from ELEMENT SKATEBOARDS on Vimeo.