Well Fitness -
Senior Project
The Well Fitness Center is a new take on traditional gyms, geared towards several different members of the community, with inclusivity being its key mission. Well Fitness will be focused on the idea that exercise is benefiting the mind, body, and soul. It will be a goal to accomplish this through focusing on connecting with oneself through natural elements.
The Well Fitness Center will accommodate a range of members, including frequent gym-goers, families with children, young adults, and seniors. It is a goal of this fitness center to be inclusive and understand that people have different backgrounds and life situations, but whatever it may be, safe spaces will be provided for those who may feel uncomfortable in gym settings. Many of the spaces will include a great deal of natural light, plant life, and natural finishes, such as wood and bamboo, allowing members to connect with nature.
Project Requirements
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This project had little requirements as it was entirely a design that we needed to create from ground up. Aside from the fact that it needed to be at least 10,000 square feet, we had all semester to conduct research, create our design while collaborating with other students, and finally present all the work we put together. Here are the steps I took to get to my final design;
Project contract
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Programming Phase
- Literature reviews of articles, books, or magazines we will use as a reference
- Interviews and tours of similar businesses
- Case studies
- Problem identification (who, what, when, where, why
- Space requirements
- Adjacency requirement analysis
- Code review
- End user reports
- Functional goals
Schematic Phase
- Visual presentation of a mood board
- Programmatic concept statement
- Aesthetic goals
- Bubble planning
- Block planning
- Preliminary finish selection
- Choosing a floor plan
Design Development
- Formal oral and visual imagery presentation
- F,F,&E material and finish selections
- Sustainable goals
- Final design concept statement
Partial Construction Documentation
- Life safety plan
- Construction plan
- Reflected ceiling plan
- Furniture & equipment plan
- Pattern plan
- Elevations
- Detail of custom architectural work
Job Control Book
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Final Presentation
- Rendered floor plan, ceiling plan, elevations, perspectives, & supporting research, studies, and F,F,&E
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I began with compiling images that would best represent the aesthetic of the environment I wanted to create. My goal was to make these spaces give off a feeling that most gyms fail to deliver. The majority of fitness centers consist of dark finishes and more of a "heavy metal" concept.
Opposite to this, I wanted to go more for a softer, soothing feel, with lighter tones and more natural finishes like wood. In order to go along with my concept of connecting with nature, I wanted to bring in natural elements that are found in nature, such as natural light, wood, plant life, and sunshine.
Mood Board
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After creating my desired aesthetic, I compiled all the spaces I wanted to include in the plan. Something that makes my design and concept really unique is that I am creating a women's gym, a space just for women to feel safe in, separate from the main gym. I also included private workout rooms, design for 1-2 members to work out in, also separate from the main gym. This offers more separation and more safe, secluded spaces for those who may not prefer traditional open gyms.
In order to appeal to various members of the community, I will be creating a childcare center, appropriate for members to drop-off children for the duration of their workout. For those frequent gym-goers, looking for a more intense workout, an adult playground will offer CrossFit inspired equipment allowing for high-intensity workouts and play. Followed by deciding each space, I determined with spaces needed to be adjacent, nearby, or separate to each other.
Space Planning
Floor Planning
I soon began bubble planning my spaces and seeing what works best with the floor plan i chose. Originally, I planned for only one floor, but I soon realized I needed to add a second in order to it all my desired spaces. I also figured, if I was going create "safe spaces", such as the women's gym and private workout rooms, it would be a smart idea to separate those from the main attractions of the gym and have them be located on the second floor. Below is the transformation from one of my preliminary bubble plans, to a more refined plan, very similar to my final plan.
After getting a feel for how I want my spaces to related to each other, I began looking into my code requirements and occupancy limit. This helped me move into the block planning phase because I now realized how big my spaces needed to be, especially the main gym to account for as many people my occupancy allowed. After switching to two floors, I was inspired by one of the gyms I used to work at. The upper floor was the main cardio area and it had a lookout to the lower level gym. I loved walking on the treadmill and actually having something to look at, considering I like to go to gyms to be able to be around other people working out. I incorporated this into my design, isolating the cardio area to the second level.
The shape of my floor plan took a turn during the blocking phase as I determined that a large, curved wall of windows was just what my design needed to emphasize the organic feel and to allow for more defined spaces.
Rendered Floor Plans
Level 1
Level 2
With a lot of my spaces being open, I defined those areas with the use of ceiling soffits and carpet tile contrast. Overall, I maintained good circulation throughout the building by sticking to organic curves, allowing natural light to reach the center, an by keeping the larger spaces open.
