Momentum in Motion: Exploring Parkour and the Built Environment

As the National Building Museum launches Momentum Park(our), a new summer installation exploring the dynamic interaction between movement and buildings, we spoke with Mark Toorock to learn more about the sport of parkour, its relationship with architecture, and what visitors can expect from this unique experience.

Mark Toorock, widely recognized as a pioneer of American parkour, has spent decades championing the physical and creative possibilities of movement through urban space. With Momentum Park(our), he brings this vision indoors, inviting visitors to see the built environment not just as background, but as something to touch, move through, and actively engage with.

Parkour as Engagement with the City

“Parkour is the art of interacting with your environment,” Mark explains. “It can be done anywhere, such as loading docks, stair rails, or even tree roots. It’s not about the perfect obstacle; it’s about how you choose to move through the space.”

Mark’s experiences in cities around the world have shaped his appreciation for how design influences behavior. Cities built at a human scale, with thoughtful transitions between spaces, tend to invite movement and interaction. Other cities, by contrast, prioritize traffic flow over human engagement. Parkour calls attention to this imbalance.

“The built environment reflects what a society values,” Mark says. “When we design places for people to move creatively and safely, we say something about who belongs in that space and how they’re allowed to use it.”

Reframing Architecture as a Living System

Rather than treating buildings and public spaces as static objects, parkour frames them as living systems: places to be explored, adapted to, and reinterpreted. For Mark, this philosophy is key to how he sees both architecture and education.

“Architecture isn’t finished when construction ends. People complete it. When someone finds a new way to use a bench, or navigates a staircase differently, they’re participating in an ongoing dialogue with the space.”

Momentum Park(our) embraces that principle by turning the Museum’s Great Hall into a temporary training space that reflects the principles of good design: clear structure, accessibility, progression, and freedom to explore.

The Progression of Parkour

Parkour training begins at the most basic level. Participants start with small obstacles before advancing to more complex challenges. The idea is to help them recognize their ability to progress through experience and repetition.

“Balance isn’t something you have or don’t have, it’s something you develop,” Mark says. “It’s a skill, like singing or coding. If you practice it, you get better.”

This growth-oriented approach is at the heart of Momentum Park(our), where every element is designed to be accessible, adaptable, and safe. The course incorporates materials like bonded foam and carpet to cushion movement while encouraging users to pay attention to technique, posture, and intentionality.

Parkour as a Lens on Urban Design

Parkour reveals what architecture enables and inhibits. Some of Mark’s favorite parkour spots include Freeway Park in Seattle and Skyline Park in Denver, both designed by renowned landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. These spaces, with their layers, sight-lines, and texture, invite interaction and exploration.

“Good design doesn’t just look nice. It gives people choices and invites them to participate.”

Momentum Park(our) brings that invitation inside the Museum, where visitors can experience firsthand how the built environment shapes movement, mindset, and confidence.

What to Expect at Momentum Park(our)

The idea for Momentum Park(our) emerged from conversations about how movement and structure intersect. Rather than merely showcasing parkour, the installation invites people to do it.

Visitors will find:

• A hands-on parkour course suitable for all experience levels.
• Interactive stations exploring the science of motion, momentum, kinetic energy, and acceleration, designed to engage visitors with hands-on learning.
• Live parkour performances and demos by professional athletes, who will also be onsite offering coaching and informal talks.
• Immersive media projections and photography that highlight the global culture of parkour and its deep connections to urban design.

For Mark Toorock, this project is about more than sport. It’s about helping people rethink what spaces are for and what they are capable of within them.

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Momentum Park(our) is made possible thanks to our Presenting+ Sponsor, Amazon. Additional support from STUDIOS Architecture.