Does your club have the ‘wow’ factor? We continue our architecture and design
series, looking at some of the world’s most architecturally impressive health clubs
CLIMBING FRAMES Illoiha Omotesando, Tokyo, Japan The Illoiha Omotesando fitness club in Tokyo, Japan, is spread across two below-ground floors of a building. Architect firm nendo therefore decided to create an unusual two-storey workout area to unify the space.
To express the original brand concept of “becoming beautiful through movement”, nendo chose the theme of rock-climbing in Omotesando. “We developed a design that uses the mismatch between a rugged outdoor sport and Tokyo’s fashion district to its advantage,” explains a spokesperson for nendo. “Instead of the usual rough and outdoorsy climbing wall, we came up with the idea of using interior design elements like picture frames, mirrors, deer heads, bird cages and flower vases to create a challenging wall with hard-to-find holds and unusual finger grips.
“We hope our unique Omotesando-style climbing wall inspires newcomers to try out the sport, and kicks off a new wave of fitness with style.”
The Tokyo club sets a new trend in designer climbing walls
The club occupies two below-ground floors
TAKE ME TO CHURCH DAVIDBARTONGYM LIMELIGHT, NEW YORK, US Opened in November 2014, New York’s DavidBartonGym Limelight is located in a building that was previously a church and then later a nightclub.
Working with interior design company Studio Sofield, the design brief was to fuse the original architecture of the building with the brand’s rebellious gym style. Members enter through an active bell tower and are surrounded by original stone structures and stained glass windows while they work out, with features including a power lifting chapel.
“With each DavidBartonGym, we infuse the design with our signature elements while staying true to the area where the gym is located,” says designer Bill Sofield.
“With Limelight, we kept several of the classic elements of the space, giving a sophisticated wink to the venue’s past as both a church and a nightclub, while making sure we put our DavidBartonGym spin on its future.”
Church architecture informs the design
The site had also been a nightclub
The bell tower
is still active
The brand is known for its rebellious style
The club’s design
fuses old with new
Original church features remain intact
LINES OF SIGHT The Third Space, London, UK he building The Third Space occupies, in London’s Soho, was originally designed for the house staff of the hotel across the street. Its very low floor-to-ceiling heights and antiquated servicing put off most potential operators who were considering a health club project – but The Third Space team saw this as an opportunity to design a unique space.
The vision – delivered by Mark Goldstein of Goldstein Ween Architects – was to create a lifestyle environment of activities and spaces connected vertically through voids and glass floors and horizontally through layers of open planning, producing long vistas within the tight horizons of the club while at the same time channelling real sunlight throughout all levels.
The design was never intended to reflect the corporate efficiency of the typical health club chain, the exclusivity of the high-end private club or the decorative thematic expressions of speciality health spas, but was more about the simplicity and vitality of natural health. The club was opened in 2000.
Spaces in the club have been connected vertically
Natural light floods through the building
The Third Space offers a ‘lifestyle environment’
Think your club is worthy of inclusion in our series? Drop us an email with a few photos: [email protected]
Phil Heath, professional athlete, bodybuilder and 7x Mr. Olympia, has fielded a lot of
questions about bodybuilding without machines. Should bodybuilders be limited to just free
weights? Why? [more...]
Does your club have the ‘wow’ factor? We continue our architecture and design
series, looking at some of the world’s most architecturally impressive health clubs
CLIMBING FRAMES Illoiha Omotesando, Tokyo, Japan The Illoiha Omotesando fitness club in Tokyo, Japan, is spread across two below-ground floors of a building. Architect firm nendo therefore decided to create an unusual two-storey workout area to unify the space.
To express the original brand concept of “becoming beautiful through movement”, nendo chose the theme of rock-climbing in Omotesando. “We developed a design that uses the mismatch between a rugged outdoor sport and Tokyo’s fashion district to its advantage,” explains a spokesperson for nendo. “Instead of the usual rough and outdoorsy climbing wall, we came up with the idea of using interior design elements like picture frames, mirrors, deer heads, bird cages and flower vases to create a challenging wall with hard-to-find holds and unusual finger grips.
“We hope our unique Omotesando-style climbing wall inspires newcomers to try out the sport, and kicks off a new wave of fitness with style.”
The Tokyo club sets a new trend in designer climbing walls
The club occupies two below-ground floors
TAKE ME TO CHURCH DAVIDBARTONGYM LIMELIGHT, NEW YORK, US Opened in November 2014, New York’s DavidBartonGym Limelight is located in a building that was previously a church and then later a nightclub.
Working with interior design company Studio Sofield, the design brief was to fuse the original architecture of the building with the brand’s rebellious gym style. Members enter through an active bell tower and are surrounded by original stone structures and stained glass windows while they work out, with features including a power lifting chapel.
“With each DavidBartonGym, we infuse the design with our signature elements while staying true to the area where the gym is located,” says designer Bill Sofield.
“With Limelight, we kept several of the classic elements of the space, giving a sophisticated wink to the venue’s past as both a church and a nightclub, while making sure we put our DavidBartonGym spin on its future.”
Church architecture informs the design
The site had also been a nightclub
The bell tower
is still active
The brand is known for its rebellious style
The club’s design
fuses old with new
Original church features remain intact
LINES OF SIGHT The Third Space, London, UK he building The Third Space occupies, in London’s Soho, was originally designed for the house staff of the hotel across the street. Its very low floor-to-ceiling heights and antiquated servicing put off most potential operators who were considering a health club project – but The Third Space team saw this as an opportunity to design a unique space.
The vision – delivered by Mark Goldstein of Goldstein Ween Architects – was to create a lifestyle environment of activities and spaces connected vertically through voids and glass floors and horizontally through layers of open planning, producing long vistas within the tight horizons of the club while at the same time channelling real sunlight throughout all levels.
The design was never intended to reflect the corporate efficiency of the typical health club chain, the exclusivity of the high-end private club or the decorative thematic expressions of speciality health spas, but was more about the simplicity and vitality of natural health. The club was opened in 2000.
Spaces in the club have been connected vertically
Natural light floods through the building
The Third Space offers a ‘lifestyle environment’
Think your club is worthy of inclusion in our series? Drop us an email with a few photos: [email protected]
Planet Fitness has announced the repurchase of 314,000 shares at a rate of US$20
million. The
Class A common stocks were repurchased and retired, using cash.
Xponential Fitness today indefinitely suspended founder and CEO, Anthony Geisler, saying it
had been notified on 7 May that the company is facing a legal challenge by the United States
Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Fast Fitness Japan, master franchisee of Anytime Fitness in Japan, has acquired Eighty-8
Health
& Fitness, giving the company master franchisee rights to Anytime Fitness in Germany.
Peloton Interactive Inc is believed to be working to get its costs under control in a bid to align
with the expectations of private equity investors as it considers de-listing.
Having good levels of cardiorespiratory fitness cuts disease and premature death by 11 to 17
per cent according to new research from the University of South Australia.
Barry’s – known for its HIIT workouts combining treadmills and weights – is
thought to be looking at strategic options, including taking on a new backer.
US private equity fund, Providence Equity Partners, is acquiring a majority stake in VivaGym
from Bridges Fund Management, which will exit as a shareholder. Financial terms have not been
disclosed.
The Bannatyne Group says it has officially bounced back from the pandemic, with both turnover
and profits restored to pre-2020 levels in 2023, according to its year-end results.
Phil Heath, professional athlete, bodybuilder and 7x Mr. Olympia, has fielded a lot of
questions about bodybuilding without machines. Should bodybuilders be limited to just free
weights? Why? [more...]
