BOX CLEVER

Boxing+ Wellness Center
Taipei, Taiwan

Boxing+ Wellness Center – designed by local interior designer Michelle Wei of MW Design, in collaboration with Jimmy Wei Chu of Chubic Lighting Consultants – occupies a 562sq m space in the basement of an industrial building. Its high-end finish aims to set a new boutique-style benchmark for the design of boxing clubs.

The space was specifically selected for its lack of pillars: the vista is entirely unrestricted from one end to the other. Instead, lighting – which formed a key part of the brief from the outset, and which has since won numerous awards – is used to create the distinct zones in the club, wrapping areas in their own light in order to separate one zone from another.

Lighting is also used effectively to set the mood in the club: warm and welcoming as you arrive in the reception area; gentler light to unwind in the changing rooms post-workout; diffused spotlights above the functional zone to create a focused atmosphere without lights shining directly into your eyes; and energy-boosting colour in the boxing ring.

The centre sets a new boutique-style benchmark for the design of boxing clubs

Lighting is used to create distinct moods in different areas of the club

The centre is housed in the basement of an industrial building

The lack of pillars makes for an uninterrupted vista of the club

BRINGING THE OUTDOORS, INDOORS

Biofit
London, UK

Landscape architect Lily Jencks recently designed ‘the world’s first biophilic gym’ for fitness concept Biofit.
Described as “an organic gym concept for big city life”, the pop-up health club opened the doors to its indoor oasis in west London from 9 January to 3 February 2017.

With a brief to “bring the outside world indoors”, Jencks created an environment where gym-goers could work out amid natural vegetation, colours, materials, shapes, scents and sounds – the idea being that the use of natural materials and plants in a health club context would leave clients both physically and mentally fitter.

In addition to its biophilic interiors, Biofit also developed its own range of nature-focused, organic exercise equipment using materials such as timber, cotton and rope.

Biofit founder Matt Morley is keen to find partners to help roll the concept out into locations all around the world.

Even the exercise equipment introduces elements of the great outdoors

Even the exercise equipment introduces elements of the great outdoors

The use of vegetation, natural materials, scents and sounds are used to create a healthier indoor environment for exercisers

ART DECO CHIC

Encore Fitness
Moscow, Russia

Opened in late September 2016 and designed by the architectural bureau of Alexander Parkin, Encore Fitness’ flagship health and fitness club is set within Moscow’s elegant 85-storey OKO Tower building.

The club’s Art Deco style references the work of legendary US architect Frank Lloyd Wright, with “precise geometry and architectural vectors meeting fluid lines and glossy surfaces”. Huge panoramic windows and a large number of mirrors create a great sense of space, complemented by the complex’s multi-level lighting system.

The 3,900sq m club offers eight fitness zones, a 25m pool, a 1,200sq m thermal complex, a café and a beauty salon.

The use of mirrors and multi-level lighting in the club creates a great sense of space

The design elements of the new Moscow club mix ‘geometry and architectural vectors’ with ‘fluid lines and modern glossy surfaces’ throughout the interior

The design elements of the new Moscow club mix ‘geometry and architectural vectors’ with ‘fluid lines and modern glossy surfaces’ throughout the interior

The design elements of the new Moscow club mix ‘geometry and architectural vectors’ with ‘fluid lines and modern glossy surfaces’ throughout the interior

REACH FOR THE SKY

Life Time Athletic at Sky
New York, US

Health and fitness operator Life Time recently opened its first New York health and fitness club, located within Manhattan’s largest residential tower.

The Life Time Athletic at Sky club occupies a 70,000sq ft (6,500sq m) space in the 71-storey Sky building, which was designed by Goldstein Hill & West and with interiors created by David Rockwell’s studio, the Rockwell Group.

Rockwell Group has created a design palette of natural and handcrafted materials and finishes, including marble, walnut, brass and stone, in neutral hues “that express a fresh and more informal interpretation of luxury”.

The architects set out a high-end design vision in their original artist impressions

The club’s interior design features a striking selection of materials including marble, walnut, brass and stone

The club’s interior design features a striking selection of materials including marble, walnut, brass and stone

The club’s interior design features a striking selection of materials including marble, walnut, brass and stone