Examples of gyms wellness clubs with biophilic design interiors
What are biophilic design benefits in a gym or wellness studio context?
Biophilic design integrates both sustainability and wellbeing under the umbrella of a nature-first design concept, as such an interior space create with this philosophy can and should tick boxes for sustainable interior design and wellness interiors.
Features might include enhanced indoor air quality (in part, from air-purifying plants); access to daylight and / or representations of daylight (via smart lighting systems) and non-toxic interior materials made of organic materials.
The expected benefits of such biophilic design principles in a gym or fitness studio would then be an. improvement in mood and feelings of. vitality, a reduction in anxiety and an increase in cognitive performance.
Additionally, the improved indoor air quality (IAQ) is not to be ignored as gyms are notoriously full of odours, dust, chemical cleaning sprays and bacteria from sweaty hands!
180 The Strand, London - a members club gym using biophilic design
180 The Strand is a members club in London’s Covent Garden area that forms part of the Soho House Group, aiming to connect creatives types through a mix of cultural, artistic and lifestyle facilities such as an art gallery, F&B venues and, the focus of our attention here, a health club that takes a bold new direction in interior design terms.
As gym consultants, this project is of particular interest less for the indoor plants and trees, instead it is the subtle, almost imperceptible layering of nature-inspired design cues that caught our attention.
The gym changing rooms feature lockers with the delicate patterns of a walnut wood that plays off the gentle wave shape of the low bench and the earthy hues of a terrazzo floor tile below.
It is a faintly retro, organic aesthetic that fits perfectly with the rest of the Soho House Group interiors yet equally marks a gentle departure from their previous openings.
This addition to the member club offers the best services of movement, fitness, mindfulness, beauty, and grooming.
A calm color pallet in the communal areas of forest greens and aquatic blues is offset with white USM storage units.
Nature images are presented as works of digital art in back-lit panels, evoking moods and sensations associated with biophilia, whether that be a grassy field, a sun setting over the sea or an aerial view of a forest.
Gym facilities include coaches in movement, fitness and mindfulness while health and beauty covers grooming services.
Additionally, there are various body therapy options such as cryotherapy, infrared saunas, ozone saunas, Red Light Therapy (RLT) and mobility tools such as compression and percussion devices.
Antares, Barcelona - a residential gym using biophilic design
Antares is a distinctive, waterfront residential building and luxury skyscraper located in Barcelona, Spain designed by Studio Odile Decq, while the fluid lines of the exterior architecture merits plenty of attention in itself, it is the wellness area and gym design with its biophilic design elements that really caught our attention.
Intending to create what the architects describe as “a seamless sensory experience” this project is a striking example of how to use organic forms and a wave-like, flowing design language to evoke nature both indoors and out.
A large living wall or ‘indoor garden wall’ supported by its own ceiling-mounted light system provides a delicately patterned visual focus for those working out on the high-end gym equipment, visible through a glass partition wall.
Despite being a lower-ground space with no natural light in a luxury residential development (not such an uncommon situation in our experience as gym design consultants!), this residential gym design set-up is raised to another level aesthetically thanks to the presence of the generously sized plant wall for gym users to reflect upon during a workout.
In the swimming pool area of the biophilic design inspired health and fitness are of Antares, we find an evocative example of water, light, reflections and natural stone combining to make what is ultimately a relatively confined space feel infinitely larger.
Not only that, the pool is an example of how leveraging a sense of natural beauty can provoke an emotional response from building occupants, in this case the residents themselves.
Again, the Antares Barcelona wellness area shows signs of the designer’s signature fluid lines, curves and lighting design. Hidden within these wood-lined partitions is a dramatic meditation space for example.
This is where the residential real estate project’s external design team really kick into another gear, playing with convention, expectation and preconceived ideas of what a wellness zone in a residential building ‘should’ normally look like and elevating the entire experience to something almost sublime, in large part thanks to the inspiration from nature’s example and biophilic design principles (at least that’s how we see it!).
Altea Active - Toronto, Canada - an example of a gym using biophilic design
Canadian gym brand Altea Active bills itself as a social wellness club aiming to “nurture a healthier and more fulfilling life” in its gym members. Sites are currently operational in Toronto and Winnipeg with additional gym designs opening in Vancouver (2023) and Milton (2024).
The Toronto Altea Active’s interiors play a key role in communicating the brand’s positioning around holistic wellbeing, they do this partially via the use of biophilic design.
Design team Chapi Chapo designed the entire space and worked to bring in nature to inspire a sense of both physical and mental wellness in gym members.
Throughout the building traces of greenery, indoor planter boxes and living garden walls can be found, with two prominent spots in particular leveraging the benefits of biophilic design to full effect.
On the second floor, the central space belongs to the tree lounge featuring an indoor tree as well as a large fish tank aquarium introducing a different type of natural element into the gym interiors.
Another prominent biophilic space is the H20 lounge on the third floor with abundant greenery and a sustainable water bottle filling station in the centre.