‘I’ve been fortunate to have volunteered in 10 different countries with numerous NGO’s.’
East by West Co.
Skate Park Design
June 2026
Wade Trevean
Owner Eastbywest
Can you tell us something about Australia that no one knows?
It’s big… I mean this is pretty well known. I am currently working on some projects in remote indigenous communities. For me this involves 2 hights to get to Central Australia from Melbourne and then a 12-hour 4DW drive. Several times this drive due to flooded roads/tracks has stretched to 2 days with a distance similar to Paris to Warsaw. Does explain why when building these future parks, it will require mobile concrete plants rather than sending trucks out each day! And yes, due to the location in these communities there are crocodiles, an ample number of snakes and camels. On the latter and to properly answer the question, we have the highest number of wild camels in the world.
You design skateparks locally and design/build around the world. What did you want to be when you were a kid?
This is interesting as only recently I reflected on drawings house plans when I was around 10 years old. Sketching away on a blank A3 piece of paper creating scaled plans, certainly not the most social endeavor. What a crazy kid! So, not saying I grew up wanting to be an architect (or knew what one was) but perhaps this did instill some early aspirations for a career in design. Coupled with the appreciation of construction which was developed through building questionable backyard ramps.
How did you end up working for skatepark companies?
Working in a skateshop. To be more detailed I studied civil engineering so therefore had some education and appreciation for structures and the design work required for their delivery. It whilst working in the shop for probably too many years that a customer and in turn friend (Darren White) mentioned his work at Convic Design and how I could utilize my skills for a job. After a successful and very informal interview I did question how long the job would last, considering how many skateparks are actually required. Now around 20 years later it turns out a lot with them being bigger and in more remote places and that importantly I still work with my good mate Darren.
When was that point where you decided to go all in with your skatepark design company?
Having worked for several skatepark companies over the years I took breaks at several points whether it was for travel or study. It was these self-indulgent breaks and intended future ones on overseas projects that made me realise it would be a tad easier to work by myself instead of the continual requests for short and long-term leave. The result was establishing Eastbywest in 2015. As for any startup, the former comfort of having a steady income as an employee is quickly appreciated, making you question the decision. Fortunately thanks to a supportive wife and minimal overheads I’ve made it work whilst still including those self-indulgent moments, even if this means sitting in some random places around the world chatting to clients amongst mounds of compacted dirt instead of my desk and/or completing some construction plans at a random airport’s cafe. Often the client does appreciate when you tell them where you are and why. And now having sufficient projects here in Australia offering financial security it’s nice not having to put in a request for leave to a boss!
What part of your job do you like least and most?
Moments of frustration can stem from the at times disconnect between the designer and the builder. This can result in changes being made onsite without having any communication. Often once you finish the design you’re left out of the loop whether that’s from the client or builder and so decisions can be made that don’t consider the previous work i.e. an orientation of an element or something specific that was requested by a community member during consultation etc… It should be noted that in most cases when these phone calls do take place the ideas of the construction crew are right as they are on the ground seeing things we only see on a screen, so it results in a better outcome. I am lucky having now assisted in several builds its offered me a lot more insight (and praise) into the construction side which do impact my designs in a positive way. For overseas project I would say the bureaucracy which can stem from the unknown of not having a skatepark whether it’s a last-minute site change like in Baghdad or an electricity pole being placed in front of the hubba at the Dili skatepark in Timor. Although at times frustrating, in most cases you just need to take it in your stride whilst appreciating where you are. As for the most liked part, it’s a cliche but it would be the opening of a park, standing back and seeing the impact it has. This is whether it’s a young kid dropping in for the first time to an elder member of the community sitting back witnessing this accomplishment. This has all derived from some initial community/client meetings, some very rough sketches evolved into construction plans and the hard work of the build crew with a couple of other steps in between. So many things and people behind the scenes have all worked out to create these outcomes. On reflection if someone explained my job and experiences to me (the good and the bad) I would be in some awe so if I take a step back, I am bloody lucky.
‘There was also a time an armed militia attempted to take over the capital in Libya.’
You have worked with Make Life Skate Life and other skate NGO’s. What is your role?
Over the last 10 years I have been fortunate to have played an active role in delivering parks in some unique places, each well underserved in skateboard infrastructure, i.e the country’s first skatepark. For me this all stemmed from helping a friend Oliver (Skateistan) work on the design of their initial skate facility in Kabul, Afghanistan. This experience offered the appreciation and insight that my professional skillset combined with a thirst for travelling could deliver some good.
The first project was with MLSL in Kathmandu in Nepal and since have volunteered with SkatePal, Wonders Around the World, Timor Skate and Skate World Better. On most of the projects I have worked with the local community in establishing a collaborative design that responds to their requests and works with the nominated site. Upon design completion it’s then time to head to a far-flung location, meeting long-term mates from around the world and building the space. At this point as construction is not my full-time job, I am at the whim to those that are well more experienced, continually learning and contributing where/how I can across all aspects of the build.
Do you try to customize the parks so there is a connection to the local community?
Most definitely, I really love this contribution as it allows a deeper study into the local town and community whilst offering identity to the park. On the initial overseas project in Nepal, we adapted the country’s flag into a unique funbox. Being the world’s only non-quadrilateral (rectangle or square) flag, it took the reading of the Nepalese constitution to ensure its correct geometry. Once finished and painted it set the tone of each future park having something that responds to the setting.
Locally we just finished a regional park, here in my state of Victoria. As with any park we try to include some local context which in this case was a bakery that was awarded the nation’s best vanilla slice (pastry). This was seamlessly represented as a painted up concrete sub-box including the mandatory bite marks. The opening was catered by said bakery featuring their renowned pastry offering a less cultured version of life imitating art!
In how many countries have you built skateparks with MLSL and other organizations?
I’ve been fortunate to have volunteered in 10 different countries with numerous NGO’s. We’ve designed and built parks in Palestine, Timor Leste, the Philippines, and numerous places in between.
Any sketchy moments you experienced along the way?
We’ve been run off the road looking for steel to build a park in Inukjuak, far north Canada, slept on floors with 70 other builders in Morocco, had the skatepark blessed by monks in Laos, found milk to be good for minimising the impacts of tear gas, a team of 5 being reduced to 2 due to covid during a build in Dili and lost my cherished hammer as part of a kickback to a corrupt politician in Mozambique. There was also a time an armed militia attempted to take over the capital in Libya, which put a temporary halt to a morning concrete pour for our skatepark project in Tripoli. So yes, there’s always some interesting stories to come home with.
Which build stands out for you most and why?
As for stand out projects internationally it would be Jayyous, Palestine and locally Ltyentre Apurte, Northern Territory. The former offered a clear reminder of delivering a space where kids could be kids offering a partial distraction to the challenges of everyday life. The build took 7 weeks and was well worth it to witness the simplicity of rolling around to someone more experienced being challenged by their next trick. The latter project is favoured as it was a personal goal, having delivered parks in international underserved communities I appreciated the same situations existing here in Australia. It was the first skatepark in a remote indigenous community in collaboration with locally owned Spinifex Skateboards and Grind Projects. Fortunately, on this project I was involved from the start to the finish where over the course of 5 years it went from initial conversations to working and living in the community throughout the build. A very welcoming and unique experience, think visiting isolated and rarely seen cultural sites to sitting around a campfire sharing cooked kangaroo tail. And to top it off we got the kids nominated indigenous flag into the skatepark as a banked hip.
‘Depending on the location $50k could easily get a park that would cost at least x6 more in a western country.’
I cover a lot of skate scenes from countries that have no skatepark. What are some of the things they can do to start the process?
All that is required is a need i.e. skate scene with no park, passion i.e. skate crew who can advocate for the park and commitment i.e. local authorities who can approve and ideally assist in funding the space. The latter option of funding is not often forthcoming so reaching out to companies, organisations, philanthropic individuals etc. to assist in raising the money. In many instances, depending on the location $50k could easily get a park that would cost at least x6 more in a western country. From here the rest is easy… Deliver a collaborative design and reach out to ardent and experienced volunteers to build the space with the locals.
From experience these projects don’t occur overnight but if you have the above ingredients coupled with some patience these things do evidently happen.
Do you think we are we getting the Fiji project off the ground?
Of course! Considering the range of places, we’ve built parks why can’t we?! Acknowledging the history and passion of the local skate scene, this criteria is already ticked. Now it’s just finding a suitable site (i.e. central, connected, activated) and the funding. Might be worth considering how best to utilize the current geopolitics of the area with its vying interests to gain some funds. Once the money is raised considering its proximity to Australia, we can easily get a team together. Let’s do it!
‘There was also a time an armed militia attempted to take over the capital in Libya.’
How about the land? You can have all the funding you want but without land there will be no park. That is the challenge we face with Fiji, isn’t it?
It’s a problem often faced as with no precedent skateparks within many of the countries we work in it’s hard to demonstrate their positive contributions and the benefits of a centrally located site for its success. In addition, in many places where you might perceive the cost of land to be cheap it’s not so pretty much, in all cases it requires the land to be donated. This can also add complexities as if it’s not your land you don’t have many rights and unfortunately there have been a few cases of parks closing after only being opened for a short period, with no legal recourse. Not ideal for the locals or the volunteers whose sweat helped build the space. I think many of these issues will apply in Fiji but please be assured it’s not the first time we’ve delivered a park in a country where land is in short supply and highly valued, we just need the right ear to appreciate what we’re trying to achieve for the current and future skaters. If we can get a park built overlooking the Atlantic in Morocco or in the highly contested property market of Baghdad, we can get this one sorted.
Last question. If you could interview one person, who would it be?
Should I be nominating a favourite skater i.e. Heath Kirchart or Louie Barletta (met on the Phillipines build) and Rick McCrank (met during the Palestine build) with both being super nice… Further afield contemplating the long list of my influences whether it’s architects, photographers, authors or even explorers I would probably keep it closer to home and to make it more sentimental I’d say my dad. An influential figure whose way of support was provided through unceasing work which didn’t offer the opportunity to communicate too much. This meant I never did get the chance to properly ask the questions of his life that I wish I had. Having passed over 15 years ago I never got to share my stories of travel and of leaving behind some concrete which he’d have a keen interest in and no doubt some tips. My advice is to grill your elders with questions to learn about them and yourself.