Fusion Students Lordship Lane London
Designing a gym, yoga studio and compact recovery suite for a design-led PBSA scheme in North London
Exterior building render, courtesy of Fusion Students
Biofit was appointed to design the fitness, wellness and recovery spaces for Fusion Students Lordship Lane London (LLL) in Wood Green, North London. The leisure component was conceived as a 200 m² wellness area within a wider PBSA development that integrates sustainability, green spaces and affordable housing.
For this project, the challenge was not simply to create another student gym. The site sits in London Zone 3, a short walk from the tube, with a large budget gym next door offering a broad 24/7 equipment range.
Biofit’s response was therefore to develop a more distinctive, design-led alternative: a student wellness environment combining a main gym, a yoga studio and a compact spa / recovery area, all with a stronger sense of atmosphere and identity than a standard commercial fitness room.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Client: Fusion Students
Project: Lordship Lane London (LLL)
Location: Wood Green, London, UK
Sector: PBSA / Student Living
Project type: Gym, yoga studio and spa / recovery suite
Leisure scope: Approx. 200 m² wellness area
Scope: Concept design, zoning, equipment planning, spa integration, finishes, lighting and interior design direction
Key spaces: Main gym, cardio zone, strength zone, functional zone, yoga studio, spa area
Brief and objectives
Fusion Students wanted the leisure offer at Lordship Lane to feel commercially competitive, but also more memorable and more emotionally engaging than the typical student gym.
With a large low-cost gym operator adjacent to the site, the project needed to avoid competing on sheer equipment quantity alone. Instead, the opportunity was to create a more distinctive resident amenity: one that combined exercise, softer wellness and a more immersive interior language.
Biofit’s response was to create a clear three-part offer:
a main gym combining cardio, strength and functional training
a separate yoga studio
a compact spa / recovery zone with sauna, shower and changing elements
This structure allowed the leisure offer to feel broader and more premium than a single-room gym.
Our design approach
Biofit approached Lordship Lane as a student wellness destination, not just an amenity gym.
The concept was guided by three principles:
1. Create a differentiated alternative to the budget gym next door
The leisure spaces needed to offer something more design-led, more atmospheric and more experience-driven than a standard big-box gym.
2. Use interior identity as a point of difference
Rather than defaulting to generic commercial gym aesthetics, the scheme developed a more immersive visual language inspired by layered pattern, greenery, arches and more hospitality-led detailing.
3. Broaden the offer beyond exercise alone
By introducing yoga and spa / recovery functions, the project positions wellness more holistically and gives the development a stronger amenity proposition for student living.
the site context allowed us to roam far and wide in our creative inspiration on this project, for one steering towards a more maximalist aesthetic– Matt Aspiotis Morley
Spatial planning
The spatial strategy separated the wellness area into distinct but connected zones.
This clear zoning structure helped the space perform better operationally and experientially. The gym itself was divided into training modes, while the yoga studio and spa area formed a quieter wellness layer adjacent to the main exercise area.
Functional training gym
The main gym was designed as a long, visually rich space combining cardio, strength and functional training within one coherent environment. This gives the room a much stronger identity than a typical student gym and helps the space read as part of the wider interior concept of the building.
The concept uses a distinctive design language including:
wooden wall slats between arches
mirrored arch features
textured gym flooring planks
green turf track insert zones for hybrid athlete training (e.g. Hyrox)
biophilic wallpaper
bamboo pendant lighting with LED detail
layered greenery and planting references
Biofit visualization
Cardio gym zone
The cardio zone was planned as a dedicated area within the main gym, giving residents a robust training offer while maintaining visual clarity.
The cardio area is positioned as part of the main gym sequence but benefits from the same immersive interior language of arches, green detailing, wallpaper and decorative lighting.
This helps the cardio offer feel integrated and design-led rather than merely equipment-led.
The equipment mix includes:
smart treadmills
smart incline trainers
smart spin bikes
smart ellipticals
smart rowers
Biofit visualization
Recovery spa suite
One of the strongest points of distinction in the Lordship Lane scheme is the compact spa area.
Rather than treating this as a token add-on, Biofit developed it as a fully articulated recovery space including:
infrared sauna
changing room
WC
shower / cold bucket
lockers
bench seating
This gives the project a more hospitality-influenced wellness layer and helps position the amenity offer above the level of a standard PBSA gym.
Infrared sauna concept
The sauna concept was built around a smart infrared sauna, specified as a 4–5 person 3-in-1 unit. The design intent also allowed for practical considerations such as additional access clearance above and behind the sauna, and integration of service access without compromising aesthetics.
The use of infrared made sense in this context because it provides a premium recovery element without the same humidity and technical demands associated with more traditional thermal formats.
Cold bucket (rather than a cold plunge)
The recovery zone also includes a shower / cold bucket element, creating a more complete contrast-therapy and reset experience rather than simply placing a sauna in isolation. The spa material board and space plan combine this with terrazzo floor tiles, green geometry and peanut metro-style wall tiles, lockers, changing room arch detailing and dedicated lighting.
This compact spa is a good example of how even a relatively small footprint can be used to create a meaningful wellness amenity when it is designed with clarity.
Yoga studio
A dedicated yoga studio was included to introduce a softer, quieter wellness zone into the overall offer.
The studio provides an important counterbalance to the gym, broadening the appeal of the leisure offer and supporting stretching, mobility, yoga and more recovery-oriented use.
The design direction for this room combines:
semi-transparent green curtains
yoga mats in two colours
framed rugs / artwork references
green steel-and-glass framing
a softer flooring treatment suitable for studio use
Why this project matters
Fusion Lordship Lane is a strong example of how PBSA leisure spaces can be used to create competitive differentiation in a dense urban market.
Because there was already a large budget gym next to the site, the value of Biofit’s work here was not simply in specifying more equipment. It was in creating a different kind of offer: one that combines exercise, yoga and recovery within a much more distinctive design-led environment.
For Biofit, the project is an important London reference because it shows how student wellness spaces can be shaped by local market context as well as by internal design ambition.
Outcome
Fusion Students Lordship Lane London demonstrates Biofit’s ability to create market-aware, design-led wellness amenities for PBSA.
By combining a full gym with dedicated cardio, strength and functional zones, alongside a yoga studio and compact spa / recovery area, the scheme offers a more complete and differentiated student wellness proposition.
It shows how even within a relatively compact footprint, fitness and wellness can become a meaningful part of the development’s identity rather than simply an amenity checklist item.
Services delivered for this project
Biofit supports projects at different stages—engaged either for full scope (including interior design) or as a specialist advisor alongside an appointed design team.
Pre-Design Planning
Concept Development
Equipment & Technical Specification
Interior Design
Frequently Asked Questions
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Biofit designed the main gym, cardio zone, strength zone, functional zone, yoga studio and compact spa / recovery area.
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The scheme combines a serious student gym offer with yoga and spa / recovery elements, creating a more differentiated amenity package than a typical PBSA gym.
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The design includes smart cardio equipment, virtual trainer rowers, customized strength equipment and functional rig, dumbbells, benches, barbells and functional accessories.
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The spa area includes an infrared sauna, changing room, WC, shower / cold bucket, lockers and bench seating.
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It shows how a student-living project can compete through a more distinctive wellness concept, especially in locations where residents already have access to low-cost external gyms nearby.
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