Warehouse GYM D3 located in Dubai Design District (d3) is home to the region's fast growing and vibrant design community. The client's program included a gym floor, juice bar, cycling studio and circuit training factory - all in a limited space of 600 sqm. Working with an irregular plan of 3 separate retail spaces, VSHD Design inserted a semi-transparent cube in the center of the space to host the different functions.
Fact File
Name of Project: Warehouse GYM D3
Location: Dubai
Area: 600 m2
Client: The Warehouse GYM
Lead Designer: Rania M Hamed
Team: Arianna Cardin & Brian Agujo
Project Manager: Bryan Miranda
Photographer: Nik and Tam
Source: V2Com
The architects' main challenge was to deliver a boutique fitness facility that is inviting, inspiring, authentic, functional and in context with a leading destination for design, art, and culture. Specially customized LED suspended lighting used to conceal all the ceiling services while maintaining an overall vibrant lighting mood that can be controlled by the different exercise zones.
The reception/juice bar is designed as a communal space with a 17-meter-long glass façade on the main street creating a meeting point for the design community or for non-members to stop by and grab a healthy smoothie or salad while experiencing the ambience of the gym.
While the gym space was originally made up of three separate retail outlets which would have been rented out to 3 different commercial functions, the architects had to make sure that the spaces flow seamlessly in a very functional manner. The semi-transparent cube in the center of the space can be combined with the gym floor to provide a large studio, accommodating a larger number of users depending on the needs.
Materials used in the main gym floor and studios like the locally cured concrete bricks, gold-copper alloy and concrete flooring are very resilient to heavy use and develop an appealing patina. Suspended cycling podium transfers the energy from the studio into the gym floor.
