features
Architecture & design: An eye for design
We continue our search for the world’s most impressively designed health clubs
X MARKS THE POP-UP
ADIDAS POP-UP, LONDON, UK
Sportswear giant Adidas launched a 10-day pop-up fitness experience in east London in February, offering free classes to women in a bid to inspire more people to engage in physical activity.
Dubbed ‘The X’, the eye-catching workout and running space in Victoria Park ran daily classes of HIIT, bootcamp and yoga. There were also daily running clubs, sunrise yoga, sociable Supper Clubs and expert Q&As.
Outside of events and classes, The X also offered a chance to socialise and relax in the Recharge Bar and Energy Room.
The X was created to celebrate the launch of the PureBOOST X – a women-only running and training shoe created by Adidas.
FEED THE BODY, FEED THE MIND
THE LIBRARY, LONDON, UK
Winner of three Tatler Gym of the Year awards and two London Lifestyle awards, The Library is a private members’ training club built in a former synagogue in Notting Hill.
Based on the philosophy of doing only 15 minutes’ exercise a day, the gym offers 15-minute HIIT sessions alongside classes such as yoga, barre and boxing.
Alongside all this, there’s also a tranquil reading area – and a giant model aeroplane hanging from the ceiling.
AN ACADEMIC OUTLOOK
THE VARSITY HOTEL,
CAMBRIDGE, UK
The Varsity Hotel – overlooking the River Cam and St John’s College in Cambridge, UK – unveiled a major new refurbishment of its spa and gym areas at the end of last year.
Housed in a beautiful 18th century glass warehouse with high ceilings, original brickwork and timber-trussed ceiling, the aim is to help visitors feel inspired whether working out or winding down.
The spa has been redesigned using darker tones and lighting to create a relaxing ambience. Its spa pool overlooks the river and is surrounded by soft armchairs. The relaxation centre also features individual sauna and steam rooms, lit to make visitors feel like they’re unwinding under twinkling stars.
Meanwhile the barn conversion-style gym has been designed to create a buzzing, uplifting space.
FITNESS - COMMUNITY
SÍCLO, MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
Interior designers and brand developers Ignacio Cadena and Michel Rojkind’s new indoor cycling studio in Mexico City is designed to enhance physical and emotional fitness.
Síclo is a 420sq m (4,500sq ft) glass-fronted gym formed around a huge white concrete stairway. The steps of the monolith – which are covered with multi-coloured poly-chromatic cushions and a small number of studio bikes – provide a community space for film screenings, healthy food banquets, educational workshops and medical clinics.
Síclo’s two main cycling studios are stacked underneath the stairway. “Like a public plaza where day-to-day encounters give life to a space, Síclo makes what happens inside the classes just as important as community life on the outside,” says Rojkind.
