Karolinska Institutet Nature Gym, Stockholm, Sweden

Design features

Forest wall mural

A large-scale Swedish forest mural created instant visual immersion and gave the room a strong identity. The design proposal considered several mural options, with the final concept using a woodland scene to bring depth and atmosphere to the space. 

Moss-inspired flooring

The room featured grass-green Interface carpet tiles, selected both for the visual link to forest undergrowth and for their sustainability credentials. The original design proposal references 100% recycled nylon carpet tiles with third-party verified carbon neutrality. 

Moss ceiling panels

Acoustic moss ceiling panels added softness, greenery and a stronger biophilic character overhead. These were a major visual move in such a small room and helped distinguish the project from a standard office conversion. The proposal explored cut-to-fit moss panels within the existing ceiling grid, while the budget sheet confirms installed moss ceiling elements.   

Kokedama moss balls

Japanese-style kokedama moss balls were suspended in the space to deepen the natural atmosphere. A separate contractor note shows the positioning strategy, calling for 10 small hooks at 15 cm intervals across 1.5 metres to suspend the moss balls between the forest wall and the central pillar. 

Planting

Air-purifying plants such as Monstera and Ficus Elastica were used to soften the room and strengthen the connection to nature. The design deck also proposed Dracaena palm and Broadleaf lady palm as low-maintenance planting options.   

Wellness lighting

The project incorporated circadian lighting using Philips Hue wellness bulbs, intended to support alertness by day while avoiding an overly harsh atmosphere later in the day. The lighting concept also used pendant shades and rope electrical wire to soften the ceiling visually. 

Sensory wellbeing layer

Beyond the visual design, the room included a subtle sensory layer through forest aromatherapy, a proposed air purifier, and bamboo / earth-friendly speakers for birdsong, nature sounds or playlists during use. This moved the room beyond a simple gym fit-out and into a broader wellness experience.   

Equipment strategy

The equipment was deliberately non-standard. Rather than using a typical commercial gym package, Biofit specified a capsule collection of eco-friendly, movement-based training tools that aligned with both the design concept and the sustainability brief.

These included sustainably sourced or wood-based items such as:

• wall bars, including a NOHrD walnut unit

• handmade push-up bars

• wood balance tools and balance stones

• lifting logs and carved wood trunks

• vintage leather medicine ball

• natural fibre climbing rope

• wood gymnastics rings

• sandbags

• resistance bands

• cork massage balls

• wood-handle skipping rope

The design proposal also made clear that equipment should remain largely unfixed and stored by the walls when not in use, helping the room remain flexible and safe within its small footprint.   

Sustainability principles

Sustainability was not treated as a marketing afterthought. It was embedded into the project brief and specification strategy from the start.

Key moves included:

• prioritising sustainably sourced timber and longer-life equipment

• specifying recycled or lower-impact finishes where possible

• favouring tactile, natural-looking materials over conventional fitness fit-out standards

• using planting and biophilic design to improve the emotional quality of the room

• communicating the material story through signage and a printed leaflet on recycled paper

There were also pragmatic compromises. The moss elements delivered strong visual and atmospheric value, but preserved moss is not fully “raw natural” material in the strictest sense because it is treated for durability. Even so, it played an important role in delivering the intended calming biophilic effect.

Space planning in 25 m²

A key challenge was making such a small room feel usable, not cramped.

The layout preserved a central open zone for stretching, mobility work, bodyweight exercises and informal group use. Larger items sat around the edges so that the room could be reset quickly between different uses. This made the space suitable for both spontaneous individual activity and short programmed sessions.

That approach was central to the project’s success. In a room of this size, flexibility matters more than quantity of equipment.

Budget-conscious wellness design

This project is also a good example of what can be achieved on a limited budget when the brief is clear and the concept is disciplined.

The original showroom proposal set out a total target cost of around EUR 10,000 / SEK 100,000, with allocations for interiors, equipment, tech, communications, Biofit’s concept/design/project management fee and local labour. A later budget sheet shows a final working total of SEK 103,428, slightly above the original ceiling. 

That modest budget makes the project particularly relevant for universities, offices and other institutions looking to create a wellness amenity without the footprint or capital cost of a full fitness centre.

Outcome

The finished Karolinska Institutet nature gym showed how an under-used room inside a university building could become a meaningful health-promotion asset.

It gave students and staff an alternative to the main fitness centre: a place for short movement breaks, bodyweight training, stretching and mental decompression in a calm, nature-inspired setting. It also demonstrated an approach that remains highly relevant today: small-footprint wellness rooms that support everyday wellbeing rather than only formal exercise.

For Biofit, it remains an early and clear example of how biophilic design, sustainable specification and wellness-led space planning can come together in a very compact format.