Page 113 - AIT1122_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Foolscap Studio, AU-Melbourne
„Exercise is more than
just a physical journey,
it’s a psychological
one too.“
1Rebel
Grundriss Untergeschoss • Basement floor plan Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan the training and prepares again for the outside world.
Bauherr • Client 1R Australia
Standort • Location 625 Chapel Street, AU-Melbourne
Nutzfläche • Floor space 3000 m 2
Fotos • Photos Simon Shiff, AU-Moorabbin VIC
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 134
1REBEL FITNESS CLUB
IN MELBOURNE
Foolscap Studio has designed the first Australian fit-
ness club for the British 1Rebel label that is located in
the city of Melbourne. Light and darkness play a major
role in the design: A shiny bright reception area with
polished floors and back-lit glass blocks is followed by
a training zone with flickering neon lighting and poun-
ding music dominated everywhere by black surfaces.
I n a first step when establishing their design, the architects from Fools-
cap Studio in Melbourne focused on how visiting a fitness club affects
the psyche of a person who is exercising there. What are the differences
in how that person feels before, during and after the training. “Whene-
ver the visitor enters the fitness club, he or she is still in public mode.
The subsequent training itself is then a far more private process – un-
coupled from the outside world”, Adèle Winteridge from Foolscap
states. “And afterwards, when one has reached the training goal of the
day, the euphoria of the success spreads”. How Winteridge and her
team architecturally reacted to this process so that the setting always
offers what is right for the different needs becomes manifest in the me-
anwhile completed conversion of the premises: At the access level on
the ground floor of the former store area, a bright entrance area has
been designed that warmly receives the clientele with smooth surfaces
and a reception including a juice bar constructed of glass blocks. A vi-
sual relationship to the outdoor space is provided by large window ope-
nings. The lower level where the training is actually performed turns out
to be the exact opposite: A central, windowless corridor leads to the va-
rious fitness studios. The walls, ceilings and floors are for the most part
designed in black. Loud music and flickering neon lighting stimulate the
flows of energy of the gym-goers. Each studio has been designed as an
autonomous sound-proof box. “The atmosphere is enhanced with the
help of a complex soundscape”, Adèle Winteridge explains. “Whenever
one enters the studios, one is welcomed by the strong intensity of the
music which strengthens the training experience”. In the locker rooms
called Rejuvenate, in contrast, there is a classic, clearly calmer musical
background. For the surfaces, here polycarbonate, brushed stainless
steel, metal mesh – reminding of the fencing of a sports field – and alu-
minium checker plate has been chosen. Details such as a yellow, back-
lit lamella curtain complement the industrial aesthetics. In this environ-
ment, the clientele enjoys the relaxation after the accomplishment of
AIT 11.2022 • 113