At 2,000 sqm, the Physical 2.0 fitness centre in Shanghai, China dazzles with its unique ambience, blurring the lines between a gym and a nightclub. According to PANORAMA Design Group, the fitness centre is based on a “when gymming meets clubbing” design concept to appeal to a younger demographic.
“Mixing the essences of two common social activities: exercise and dance, we created a new psychological and physical experience for different areas,” the design team says. “We hope that this energetic and theatrical fitness space can provide an uplifting experience for young customers and become a source of motivation for them to get in shape and stay healthy.”
The lively atmosphere begins at the main entrance where guests are transported to a space reminiscent of “an abstract future space from the real world”, as the designers put it. Throughout the versatile space, the fitness centre emphasises a dynamic design language using a bold architectural approach and a range of coloured lighting.
At the reception area is a multi-angle mirror for guests to view their body contours from different directions. Guests are then ushered to the adjacent consultation room where professional fitness consultants will assist them with tailor-made fitness programs based on their weight and fitness goals.
From the reception, the space opens out to the spacious gym area featuring a charcoal grey tone complement by a multi-angle ceiling and purple LED lights. “The design guides guests’ posture and echoes the background music, allowing each person to exercise more intensively,” the designers share, adding that the slow-moving purple LED lights, which extend from different directions to the entire open area, help to lead guests into the private aerobics area. In this space, patterned soundproof glass defines classrooms with different functions, ensuring the design of the open areas and the private zones are cohesive but offered different levels of privacy.
The fitness centre also includes an indoor swimming pool, which continues the unique design theme. “The indoor swimming pool area is a space created by black painted glass immersed with aqua blue lights. Ceiling LED lines slowly flow from one side of the pool to the opposite side, allowing guests to follow the reflection in the water and providing them with a linear swimming path,” the design team elaborates.
For the changing rooms, bright yellow is employed as the dominant colour. “After guests are done with their workouts, they transition from the charcoal grey gym space to a bright and cheery changing room,” the designers say. ” Here, guests cool down and relax, completing their fitness experience. The changing room exit is a fluorescent green channel created from overlapping blue and yellow hues. The dynamic and photosensitive lines connecting from the ceiling to the ground evoke the experience of returning to the real world.”
Designer Profile:
Horace Pan
Founder, PANORAMA Design Group
Horace Pan, a Hong Kong design figure famous for creating story-telling and meaningful spatial experiences for various interior disciplines, completed his undergraduate and postgraduate study in School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He established his award-winning practice PANORAMA in 2003 and focuses on designing large-scale composite spaces in the region. With headquarters in Hong Kong, the company now has representative offices in China, Singapore, Indonesia, USA and has received over 150 design awards globally including Germany’s iF Design Awards & Red Dots Awards, US’s IIDA Global Excellence Awards & IDA Design Awards, Japan’s JCD Design Awards, Taiwan’s TID Design Award, UK’s FX Design Awards, Singapore’s SIDS Design Award, Netherland’s INSIDE Awards Highly Commended and FRAME Awards.
