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The Leisure Media Company Ltd
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The Leisure Media Company Ltd
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FITNESS, HEALTH, WELLNESS

features

Architecture & design: An eye for design

In the start of a new series showcasing best practice in health club design and architecture, we take a look around the world and spotlight four of our top picks

Published in Health Club Management 2015 issue 6

ONE IN THE BANK

Goodlife Fitness – Stephen Avenue, Calgary, Canada

Created within the former Bank of Montreal, this 20,000sq ft club is set amid the limestone and Corinthian columns of the historic building. GoodLife Fitness worked with Square Feet Design Group and Trigon Construction Management for over a year, restoring the historic building’s mezzanine, main floor and basement. Great care was taken to protect the unique decorative features, including 35-foot ceilings embellished with rosettes and 917 ounces of gold leaf, marble floors, decorative mouldings and original chandeliers.

“We developed brand new approaches to meet infrastructure requirements and ensure the heritage elements of the building would be conserved,” says Lori Ireland of Square Feet Design. “GoodLife took great care to rebuild many of the interior historic features and uncovered beautiful decorative elements in the process. One of the washrooms is actually built inside an old bank vault. It was well worth the extra effort.”

The gym interior retains the bank’s Corinthian columns / © CiJJJ Photography
The gym interior retains the bank’s Corinthian columns / © CiJJJ Photography

LOW COST, HIGH SPEC

JD gyms – Liverpool, UK

Built within Liverpool’s Grade II listed State Insurance Building – previously a dance hall and nightclub, but empty for the last eight years – JD Gyms worked with Design Business Interiors to bring the 26,000sq ft space to life as a low-cost (£19.99 a month) but hi-spec gym.

“The building was so architecturally spectacular that we wanted to ensure our design was sympathetic to this, while at the same time working within the DNA of the JD Gyms brand,” says JD Gyms MD Alun Peacock. “We’ve highlighted original features such as sash windows, ironwork and columns, and we’ve used a lot of glass and stainless steel, but this has been complemented by an injection of JD Gyms’ fun and colour.

“While this building has less of the urban materials we’ve used previously, in fact some of the design features – such as the neon ‘fitness just got serious’ signs – have worked so well we’ll be incorporating these into future clubs.”

The ‘Fitness just got serious’ neon signs inject vibrancy into 
the gym’s design
The ‘Fitness just got serious’ neon signs inject vibrancy into the gym’s design
The gym has revived the Grade II listed building
The gym has revived the Grade II listed building
There’s a lot of glass and steel, but historic features are also preserved
There’s a lot of glass and steel, but historic features are also preserved

EN VOGUE

Hard Candy Fitness – Toronto, Canada

Part of the chain created by Madonna in partnership with New Evolution Ventures (NeV), this 42,000sq ft club is Hard Candy Fitness’ largest in North America, featuring 19ft floor-to-ceiling windows around the entire club, a rooftop terrace, and what’s said to be the largest cycling studio in Toronto.

Working with architects Tanaka Riley and Anderson Architects, Hard Candy Fitness Toronto picks up on the chain’s Warhol-esque décor, using Madonna imagery and inspiration throughout to create a colourful, light space designed to motivate every type of member to be active.

The Toronto club is Hard Candy’s largest site in North America and features the chain’s familiar Warhol-esque interior decor
The Toronto club is Hard Candy’s largest site in North America and features the chain’s familiar Warhol-esque interior decor
The Toronto club is Hard Candy’s largest site in North America and features the chain’s familiar Warhol-esque interior decor
The Toronto club is Hard Candy’s largest site in North America and features the chain’s familiar Warhol-esque interior decor
The Toronto club is Hard Candy’s largest site in North America and features the chain’s familiar Warhol-esque interior decor
The Toronto club is Hard Candy’s largest site in North America and features the chain’s familiar Warhol-esque interior decor
The gym features 19ft floor-to-ceiling windows
The gym features 19ft floor-to-ceiling windows

TOP OF THE CLASS

Les Mills – Britomart Place, Auckland, New Zealand

Targeting 18- to 39-year-olds, this purpose-built 21,500sq ft club in Auckland’s central business district (CBD) operates at the premium end of the market, with membership costing NZ$21.50 a week.

Working with Warren and Mahoney architects, the design brief focused on the use of high-end, natural materials – such as timber and concrete – with clean lines and moments of intensity in colour and materials.

Practising what is so often preached by Les Mills CEO Phillip Mills, the group exercise studios are particularly good examples of these moments of intensity. Bright colours and graphics ensure the studios give off a sense of energy that’s far removed from the sterile, mirrored boxes Mills decries.

Bright colours convey a sense of energy in the studio
Bright colours convey a sense of energy in the studio
The facility in Auckland’s CBD targets 18- to 39-year-olds with its offering and vibrant interiors
The facility in Auckland’s CBD targets 18- to 39-year-olds with its offering and vibrant interiors

NOMINATE YOUR CLUB

Think your club is worthy of inclusion in our series? Drop us an email with a few photos: [email protected]

Sign up here to get HCM's weekly ezine and every issue of HCM magazine free on digital.
The Alliance project at Adwick Leisure Centre in Doncaster included a new ten pin bowling area and a 100-station gym
The Alliance project at Adwick Leisure Centre in Doncaster included a new ten pin bowling area and a 100-station gym
https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/HCM2015_6eye4.jpg
A peek inside some of the world's most beautiful health clubs
Goodlife Fitness JD Gyms Hard Candy Fitness Les Mills,Architecture, design, GoodLife Fitness, JD Gyms, Hard Candy Fitness, Les Mills, Madonna, Square Feet Design, Trigon Construction Management, Design Business Interiors, Tanaka Riley and Anderson Architects, Warren and Mahoney
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Click on a catalogue to view it online
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In person, St Andrews, United Kingdom
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features

Architecture & design: An eye for design

In the start of a new series showcasing best practice in health club design and architecture, we take a look around the world and spotlight four of our top picks

Published in Health Club Management 2015 issue 6

ONE IN THE BANK

Goodlife Fitness – Stephen Avenue, Calgary, Canada

Created within the former Bank of Montreal, this 20,000sq ft club is set amid the limestone and Corinthian columns of the historic building. GoodLife Fitness worked with Square Feet Design Group and Trigon Construction Management for over a year, restoring the historic building’s mezzanine, main floor and basement. Great care was taken to protect the unique decorative features, including 35-foot ceilings embellished with rosettes and 917 ounces of gold leaf, marble floors, decorative mouldings and original chandeliers.

“We developed brand new approaches to meet infrastructure requirements and ensure the heritage elements of the building would be conserved,” says Lori Ireland of Square Feet Design. “GoodLife took great care to rebuild many of the interior historic features and uncovered beautiful decorative elements in the process. One of the washrooms is actually built inside an old bank vault. It was well worth the extra effort.”

The gym interior retains the bank’s Corinthian columns / © CiJJJ Photography
The gym interior retains the bank’s Corinthian columns / © CiJJJ Photography

LOW COST, HIGH SPEC

JD gyms – Liverpool, UK

Built within Liverpool’s Grade II listed State Insurance Building – previously a dance hall and nightclub, but empty for the last eight years – JD Gyms worked with Design Business Interiors to bring the 26,000sq ft space to life as a low-cost (£19.99 a month) but hi-spec gym.

“The building was so architecturally spectacular that we wanted to ensure our design was sympathetic to this, while at the same time working within the DNA of the JD Gyms brand,” says JD Gyms MD Alun Peacock. “We’ve highlighted original features such as sash windows, ironwork and columns, and we’ve used a lot of glass and stainless steel, but this has been complemented by an injection of JD Gyms’ fun and colour.

“While this building has less of the urban materials we’ve used previously, in fact some of the design features – such as the neon ‘fitness just got serious’ signs – have worked so well we’ll be incorporating these into future clubs.”

The ‘Fitness just got serious’ neon signs inject vibrancy into 
the gym’s design
The ‘Fitness just got serious’ neon signs inject vibrancy into the gym’s design
The gym has revived the Grade II listed building
The gym has revived the Grade II listed building
There’s a lot of glass and steel, but historic features are also preserved
There’s a lot of glass and steel, but historic features are also preserved

EN VOGUE

Hard Candy Fitness – Toronto, Canada

Part of the chain created by Madonna in partnership with New Evolution Ventures (NeV), this 42,000sq ft club is Hard Candy Fitness’ largest in North America, featuring 19ft floor-to-ceiling windows around the entire club, a rooftop terrace, and what’s said to be the largest cycling studio in Toronto.

Working with architects Tanaka Riley and Anderson Architects, Hard Candy Fitness Toronto picks up on the chain’s Warhol-esque décor, using Madonna imagery and inspiration throughout to create a colourful, light space designed to motivate every type of member to be active.

The Toronto club is Hard Candy’s largest site in North America and features the chain’s familiar Warhol-esque interior decor
The Toronto club is Hard Candy’s largest site in North America and features the chain’s familiar Warhol-esque interior decor
The Toronto club is Hard Candy’s largest site in North America and features the chain’s familiar Warhol-esque interior decor
The Toronto club is Hard Candy’s largest site in North America and features the chain’s familiar Warhol-esque interior decor
The Toronto club is Hard Candy’s largest site in North America and features the chain’s familiar Warhol-esque interior decor
The Toronto club is Hard Candy’s largest site in North America and features the chain’s familiar Warhol-esque interior decor
The gym features 19ft floor-to-ceiling windows
The gym features 19ft floor-to-ceiling windows

TOP OF THE CLASS

Les Mills – Britomart Place, Auckland, New Zealand

Targeting 18- to 39-year-olds, this purpose-built 21,500sq ft club in Auckland’s central business district (CBD) operates at the premium end of the market, with membership costing NZ$21.50 a week.

Working with Warren and Mahoney architects, the design brief focused on the use of high-end, natural materials – such as timber and concrete – with clean lines and moments of intensity in colour and materials.

Practising what is so often preached by Les Mills CEO Phillip Mills, the group exercise studios are particularly good examples of these moments of intensity. Bright colours and graphics ensure the studios give off a sense of energy that’s far removed from the sterile, mirrored boxes Mills decries.

Bright colours convey a sense of energy in the studio
Bright colours convey a sense of energy in the studio
The facility in Auckland’s CBD targets 18- to 39-year-olds with its offering and vibrant interiors
The facility in Auckland’s CBD targets 18- to 39-year-olds with its offering and vibrant interiors

NOMINATE YOUR CLUB

Think your club is worthy of inclusion in our series? Drop us an email with a few photos: [email protected]

Sign up here to get HCM's weekly ezine and every issue of HCM magazine free on digital.
The Alliance project at Adwick Leisure Centre in Doncaster included a new ten pin bowling area and a 100-station gym
The Alliance project at Adwick Leisure Centre in Doncaster included a new ten pin bowling area and a 100-station gym
https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/HCM2015_6eye4.jpg
A peek inside some of the world's most beautiful health clubs
Goodlife Fitness JD Gyms Hard Candy Fitness Les Mills,Architecture, design, GoodLife Fitness, JD Gyms, Hard Candy Fitness, Les Mills, Madonna, Square Feet Design, Trigon Construction Management, Design Business Interiors, Tanaka Riley and Anderson Architects, Warren and Mahoney
Latest News
Norwegian health club operator, Treningshelse Holding, which owns the Aktiv365 and Family Sports Club fitness ...
Latest News
The HCM team were busy at the recent FIBO Global Fitness event in Cologne, Germany, ...
Latest News
Atlanta-based boutique fitness software company, Xplor Mariana Tek, has kicked off a push for international ...
Latest News
The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has released new data on the US’ wellness economy, valuing ...
Latest News
The fitness sector’s pivot to active wellbeing is being discussed in a new weekly podcast, ...
Latest News
Planet Fitness has a new CEO – Colleen Keating. She will take up the position ...
Latest News
UK Active has announced details of its annual health and fitness industry awards ceremony, which ...
Latest News
Social enterprise, Places Leisure, which is part of the Places for People Group, has appointed ...
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Basic-Fit has signed up to trial Wellhub across its recently expanded Spanish network, giving access ...
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Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Sibec EMEA to blend fitness with luxury at Fairmont Monte Carlo
Experience the pinnacle of fitness and luxury at the premier industry event, Sibec EMEA, set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Fairmont Monte Carlo this Autumn.
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Panatta to showcase innovation at major fitness and bodybuilding events in 2024
Panatta will consolidate its global presence throughout 2024 by attending a host of major industry events around the globe.
Company profiles
Company profile: Matrix Fitness
Preferred by some of the world’s finest hotels and resorts, Matrix offers an array of ...
Company profiles
Company profile: CET Ltd
The focus for two decades was low temperature saltwater hydrotherapy, in particular the CryoSpa Sport ...
Supplier Showcase
Supplier showcase - Jon Williams
Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
Featured press releases
Power Plate UK press release: Power plate + red light therapy: life-changing ‘biostacking’
“We combine Power Plate and red light therapy in all our small group classes,” says Natt Summers, founder and owner of Accomplish Fitness in Hungerford, Berkshire.
Featured press releases
Zoom Media press release: Zoom Media expands partnership with Fitness4less
Zoom Media, the UK's leading provider of health and fitness digital media, has announced a new contract with Fitness4Less to deliver Out of Home advertising across its estate.
Directory
Spa software
SpaBooker: Spa software
Lockers
Fitlockers: Lockers
Flooring
Total Vibration Solutions / TVS Sports Surfaces: Flooring
salt therapy products
Saltability: salt therapy products
Cryotherapy
Art of Cryo: Cryotherapy
Snowroom
TechnoAlpin SpA: Snowroom
Property & Tenders
Loughton, IG10
Knight Frank
Property & Tenders
Grantham, Leicestershire
Belvoir Castle
Property & Tenders
Diary dates
22-24 Apr 2024
Galgorm Resort, York,
Diary dates
10-12 May 2024
China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China
Diary dates
23-24 May 2024
Large Hall of the Chamber of Commerce (Erbprinzenpalais), Wiesbaden, Germany
Diary dates
30 May - 02 Jun 2024
Rimini Exhibition Center, Rimini, Italy
Diary dates
08-08 Jun 2024
Worldwide, Various,
Diary dates
11-13 Jun 2024
Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore, Singapore
Diary dates
12-13 Jun 2024
ExCeL London, London, United Kingdom
Diary dates
03-05 Sep 2024
IMPACT Exhibition Center, Bangkok, Thailand
Diary dates
19-19 Sep 2024
The Salil Hotel Riverside - Bangkok, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
Diary dates
01-04 Oct 2024
REVĪVŌ Wellness Resort Nusa Dua Bali, Kabupaten Badung, Indonesia
Diary dates
22-25 Oct 2024
Messe Stuttgart, Germany
Diary dates
24-24 Oct 2024
QEII Conference Centre, London, United Kingdom
Diary dates
04-07 Nov 2024
In person, St Andrews, United Kingdom
Diary dates
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