Red Bull and Prada turn Brazilian skyscraper into world's largest skate ramp

Beverage company Red Bull and fashion house Prada covered the curved side of a building in Porto Alegre, Brazil, with a huge, plywood quarter pipe for a record-breaking descent by local skater Sandro Dias.

The mega ramp was built for the Red Bull Building Drop event on 24 September, during which Dias dropped into the quarter pipe from multiple platforms along its 88.91-metre-tall Centro Administrativo Fernando Ferrari (CAFF) building, which contains government offices and is home to Porto Alegre's local symphony orchestra.

"The establishment was converted into the world's largest ramp for the occasion, enabling Dias to fully utilize the edifice's natural curvature and achieve the highest speed ever recorded in this discipline," said Prada.

According to Red Bull, it took a month to construct the ramp, which reaches the full height of the building and extends out beyond its edge to create a long, elevated runway.

The ramp was made of plywood panels typical of skate ramps and was attached to the building via a steel structure.

"Crafted from plywood panels, the ramp overlays the structure's weathered concrete, which had become too cracked and unsafe for riding," said Red Bull.

Completed in 1987, the building's construction was part of a larger government initiative, with its design credited to "a team of five architects from the then State Department of Public Works", according to the building's website.

Reaching 22 storeys, it comprises two identical, mirrored volumes that are conjoined at the centre. The volumes are shaped similarly to a right triangle, although their exterior sides feature a long, dramatic slope.

"This temporary addition not only preserves the building's iconic exterior but also creates the perfect smooth surface for Dias to take on his jaw-dropping descent from top to bottom."

Blue wedge-shaped platforms were installed at 180 feet (55 metres), 196 feet (60 metres), and 213 feet (65 metres) along its length to serve as drop-in points for the skater, before he eventually worked his way to the highest platform at 229 feet (70 metres).

To reach the platforms, Dias was lowered from the building's rooftop with rappelling equipment "numerous times".

For his final attempt from the 229-foot platform, he reached a top speed of 64 miles per hour (103.8 kilometres), earning him the Guinness World Record of "the fastest speed skateboarding on a temporary quarter pipe".

The feat was also awarded "the tallest drop into a temporary quarter pipe" by the organisation.

According to Red Bull, the building has been "the subject of constant speculation within Porto Alegre's skate community for decades" before it was officially transformed into a skate ramp.

115 tonnes of scrap from the project are set to be donated after the event, with "800 wooden boards donated to local NGOs or used as biomass", according to the company.

The project was created in collaboration with Prada's Linea Rossa sport collection, which Dias wore for the descent.

It is almost four times larger than a typical "mega ramp", which constitutes a structure 200 feet (60 metre) to 360 feet (108 metre) long with 40 feet (12 metre) or higher drop-ins.

Other recent skateboarding projects include a Vans store with a skateable interior in London and furniture that converts into skating infrastructure.

The photography is courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool unless otherwise noted.

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