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Architecture & design: Design spotlight
In the second part of our series showcasing best practice in health club design and architecture, we take a look around the world and spotlight four of our favourites
INVITATION ONLY
Fitness First Gravity, Singapore
Fitness First recently unveiled its ‘invitation-only’ health club concept, Gravity, with the first location due to open later this year in the CapitaGreen building in Singapore’s central business district. Membership costs around £300 a month plus a £1,500 joining fee.
The US$7.3m club has been designed by Nick Gray and Studio HBA, a division of hospitality design firm HBA. The theme of the six points of Gravity – wellness, vitality, lifestyle, structure, performance and equilibrium – is echoed in subtle design cues around the club, represented by the hexagon motifs including on the ceiling and floors.
Meanwhile, a strong part of the design brief was to maximise the space, and particularly the outdoor space. This is in keeping with the overall CapitaGreen building which, designed by Pritzker Laureate Toyo Ito, has been created to be like a plant growing towards the sky, with lush greenery enveloping the building.
Alongside the outdoor pool area and deck, with its view of the CBD skyline, the Gravity club therefore incorporates a yoga deck for sunrise yoga.
HOME FROM HOME
Aspria Uhlenhorst, Hamburg, Germany
It’s hard to choose one club from the Aspria portfolio on which to focus – all are market leaders in terms of concept, design and delivery – but on this occasion we’ve chosen Aspria Uhlenhorst, Hamburg.
Uhlenhorst is a redevelopment of the 100-year-old Klipper club, representing a €25m investment. Aspria used a local Hamburg-based architect for the basic building and a British interior design company, SparcStudio, for some of the fit-out work. The rest of the design and specification work was carried out internally by the Aspria team.
The club – encompassing hotel, gym, pool and spa – feels almost ‘aspirational home’ in design. Both floors have large windows looking out over the gardens, and the colour scheme is gentle – browns, creams, lots of wood. There’s a flow between gym and recreational, non-workout space: an open doorway links the first floor area of the gym with the restaurant, and there are leather sofas, standard lamps and even a pool table encroaching into the gym space. Huge, gilt-framed mirrors add glamour to the free weight and functional areas.
Membership costs €135 a month.
HIT THEM FOR SIX
Pure Fitness, California Tower, Hong Kong
Occupying 25,000sq ft over six floors, this new HK$30m (£2.5m) Pure Fitness club in the central business district of Hong Kong opened in April 2015.
Designed by Elaine Jamieson from Positive Partnership, its design is high-end in keeping with its location. The design vision is industrial urban chic with elements of cool sophistication – bare concrete and raw steel with a touch of glamour, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.
The challenge of operating across so many floors was addressed with a new internal staircase, which has become a major design feature that’s integrated all elements of the gym. The relatively small area of each floor assists in giving the club a boutique feel.
Also incorporated is what’s said to be the world’s first 270-degree Les Mills Immersive Fitness studio. Membership costs HK$1,119 (£95) a month for Pure Fitness California Tower, or HK$1,499 (£125) for all Pure Fitness and Yoga locations in Asia – plus joining fee.
MAKING A SPLASH
Metropolitan Eurobuilding, Madrid, Spain
This 4,000sq m club was designed by architect Esteban Becerril in line with other Metropolitan clubs, with a brief to create spaces where design and innovation play a crucial role, but without detracting from the need to make the member feel at home.
Unique design elements of the urban club include a 500sq m sandy beach terrace. There’s also a 500sq m spa – the wet areas of Metropolitan clubs are a key design focus – and 400sq m of changing room facilities alongside the 500sq m gym.
Membership costs from €70 a month.
NOMINATE YOUR CLUB
Think your club is worthy of inclusion in our series? Drop us an email with a few photos:
[email protected]
