Fusion Students Loughborough, Limehurst Avenue
Designing fitness, wellness and recovery spaces for a PBSA scheme in the UK’s best-known sports university town
Fusion Students Leeds render
Biofit was appointed to design the fitness, wellness and recovery spaces for Fusion Students Loughborough, part of the Limehurst Avenue Loughborough (LAL) PBSA development.
The wider scheme was conceived as a flagship student living offer in Loughborough, with a strong focus on amenity quality, BREEAM Excellent targets and a brief to deliver one of the most compelling PBSA propositions in the town.
What made this project especially interesting was its setting. In a town defined by Loughborough University’s sporting identity, the leisure offer needed to go beyond a standard student gym.
Biofit’s response combined a substantial fitness space, a holistic studio, and a compact but highly distinctive recovery suite with thermal and contrast-therapy elements, creating a more advanced and sports-aware amenity package for student residents.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Client: Fusion Students
Project: Limehurst Avenue Loughborough (LAL)
Location: Loughborough, UK
Sector: PBSA / Student Living
Project type: Gym, holistic studio and recovery suite
Project context: PBSA development in a sports-led university town
Scope: Fitness and wellness concept design, spatial planning, equipment strategy, recovery suite planning, finishes, lighting and technical coordination
Completion target for the wider scheme: September 2027
Brief and objectives
Fusion Students wanted Loughborough’s leisure spaces to feel more relevant to the town’s sporting culture than a typical PBSA amenity gym.
The wider project brief explicitly called for a fitness suite / gym, yoga / wellness suite and spa / recovery room as must-have internal amenities, with additional consideration given to scale and ambition because of Loughborough’s strong athletic identity.
That made this project different from the usual student-gym formula. The leisure offer needed to support:
everyday resident workouts
strength and cardio training
studio-based mobility and recovery activity
a more advanced wellness and recovery layer
a clear point of difference within the local PBSA market
In effect, the brief was asking for a student-living leisure concept that could speak both to general wellbeing and to the more performance-aware culture of the town.
Our design approach
Biofit approached Fusion Loughborough as a student wellness hub with a sports-informed mindset.
The concept was structured around three complementary layers:
1. Main fitness space
A substantial open gym combining cardio, strength and functional training.
2. Holistic studio
A more contained space for yoga, stretching, mobility and quieter guided sessions.
3. Recovery suite
A compact but distinctive thermal and recovery zone including infrared sauna, steam room, shower and associated changing space.
This created a richer and more differentiated amenity offer than many PBSA projects, while still fitting coherently within the wider Fusion and NEKA design language.
fusion stepped into the performance recovery suite / functional spa scene with this project brief, and there was no better place for it that loughborough– Matt Aspiotis Morley
Spatial planning
The general arrangement was designed to make the different activity types feel connected but clearly zoned. The studio and recovery suite sit adjacent to one another, creating a natural relationship between movement, mobility and recovery, while the main gym retains its own identity as the more active and social part of the leisure offer.
The layout included:
a 170 m² fitness space
a 30 m² holistic studio
a 20 m² recovery suite
associated changing and support functions
a lobby / stair connection to the wider building circulation
This was an efficient arrangement because it allowed the gym to remain open and flexible, while giving the studio and recovery areas enough separation to support quieter, more restorative use.
Gym
The main fitness space was designed as a broad-spectrum training environment rather than a simple cardio room. This creates a more complete training offer than many student accommodation gyms, with enough breadth to support strength work, conditioning, cardio and functional training within one coherent space.
Biofit visualization
The equipment mix includes:
smart treadmills
manual treadmill
smart ellipticals
smart rowers
smart bikes
step machines
Smith machines
custom adjustable benches
stainless steel dumbbells in light and heavy sets
custom rig
leg press
glute raise
vibration plate
plyo boxes
Holistic studio
The holistic studio was designed as a quieter counterpart to the main gym.
This room supports yoga, stretching, mobility sessions and softer guided movement, while also working as a space for more mindful or recovery-led use. Its design language is noticeably warmer and more domestic than the fitness area, helping it feel less like a gym annex and more like a dedicated wellbeing room.
Biofit visualization
Key features include:
mirrored wall with barre
TV screen with framed prints above storage
equipment cubbies and towel storage
louvered glass partition
linen privacy curtains
softer lighting and decorative treatment
This space broadens the appeal of the leisure offer and helps make the scheme more relevant to a wider range of residents, not only those looking for conventional gym training.
Recovery spa suite
One of the most distinctive aspects of Fusion Loughborough is the small functional spa / recovery suite.
This was a particularly strong response to the location. In a town associated with elite sport and active performance culture, it made sense for the leisure concept to include recovery and contrast-therapy elements rather than stopping at cardio and strength training.
The visual concept uses a warmer, more intimate palette than the gym, with checkered floor tiles, coloured wall surfaces, timber sauna enclosure, striped tiling to the steam room and a more residential decorative character.
The result is a compact wellness zone that feels functional but still distinctive within a PBSA setting.
The recovery suite includes:
infrared sauna
steam room
shower
changing area
associated circulation and support space
Functional spa suite equipment
For the sauna, Biofit specified an infrared smart sauna concept designed for regular student use and manageable operational complexity.
The proposed solution was a commercial infrared sauna with capacity for 3–4 users, integrated chromotherapy lighting, built-in speakers and app / tablet-based programme control.
The appeal of infrared in this context was its lower-humidity format and more controlled operational profile compared with traditional sauna typologies.
This made it a strong fit for PBSA, where the aim was to create a credible recovery offer without adding unnecessary technical complexity.
Alongside the sauna, the recovery suite also incorporated a steam room and a shower, allowing the space to function as a more complete thermal circuit rather than a one-element add-on.
The planning drawings also identify the practical technical requirements around this zone, including drainage, power and servicing allowances for the sauna and steam room.
That attention to technical coordination matters, because it shows this was conceived as a real operational space rather than just a conceptual wellness gesture.
Biofit visualization
Material palette and design direction
The project’s interior language was developed to align with NEKA’s wider design direction for the social spaces adjacent to the leisure spaces, while still giving the gym, recovery spa suite and yoga studio their own character.
Across the different zones, the concept brings together:
timber wall panelling
mirror walls
softened screens and curtains
muted but warm colour accents
textured surfaces
decorative lighting
spa-inspired tiles and checkerboard flooring in the recovery area
a more premium, hospitality-influenced atmosphere overall
This helped the leisure spaces feel integrated into the broader residential environment rather than reading as isolated technical rooms.
Why this project matters
Fusion Loughborough is a strong example of how PBSA leisure design can respond intelligently to local context.
In many towns, a well-designed student gym and studio would be enough. In Loughborough, where sport and performance culture are far more embedded in the identity of the place, Biofit developed a more nuanced answer: a leisure concept that combines training, movement and recovery in one joined-up amenity package.
The inclusion of a small functional spa / recovery suite is particularly important. It moves the scheme beyond the typical student gym model and gives it a stronger point of distinction within the PBSA market.
Outcome
Fusion Students Loughborough demonstrates Biofit’s ability to create sports-aware student wellness spaces that go beyond baseline amenity expectations.
By combining a substantial fitness area, a holistic studio and a compact but credible recovery suite, the project creates a more rounded offer for residents and a more differentiated product for the developer.
It is a useful case study for how student living can borrow selectively from both hospitality and performance-recovery environments to create a stronger resident experience..
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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The project combines a main fitness space, a holistic studio and a compact recovery suite, creating a more layered wellbeing offer than a standard student gym.
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The scheme included a 170 m² fitness space, a 30 m² holistic studio and a 20 m² recovery suite.
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The recovery suite includes an infrared sauna, steam room, shower, changing area and associated support space.
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Loughborough is strongly associated with sport and athletic culture, so a more recovery-aware amenity offer makes particular sense in this context.
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The main fitness space includes smart cardio equipment, Smith machines, custom benches, stainless steel dumbbells, a custom rig, leg press, glute raise, vibration plate and plyo boxes.
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