{"id":16282,"date":"2015-10-06T18:52:12","date_gmt":"2015-10-06T16:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/sky-health-fitness-centre-2\/"},"modified":"2015-10-07T10:39:06","modified_gmt":"2015-10-07T08:39:06","slug":"sky-health-fitness-centre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/sky-health-fitness-centre\/","title":{"rendered":"Sky Health & Fitness Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"

photo by Alex de Rijke<\/em><\/p>\n

The Sky Health and Fitness Centre came about through collaboration between BSkyB\u2019s headquarters masterplan redevelopment team, and dRMM with Arup\u2019s on-going research into sustainable engineered timber construction.
\nAs a demonstration of their commitment to the health and wellbeing of staff at their bourgeoning West London campus, Sky commissioned dRMM to design a purpose-built staff fitness centre. When dRMM was selected to design its successor, the existing campus gym had been operating for over 14 years and was seen as a key staff amenity, central to the organisation\u2019s ethos of maintaining a work\/life balance and engendering a healthy lifestyle for their employees. The existing gym suffered from being over-subscribed and was in a poor state of repair.
\ndRMM\u2019s aim was to create a building that would embody Sky\u2019s corporate sustainability policies whilst building on our own studio research into innovative structures and modern methods of construction using sustainable materials. The result is a building that is entirely naturally lit, made almost entirely of engineered timber and glass, and finished with natural and recyclable materials throughout. The Sky Health and Fitness Centre represents a strategic building, in connection with the future masterplan developments.<\/p>\n

The building is composed by an original arrangement of laminated \u2018bifurcated\u2019 timber columns and cross-laminated timber (CLT) walls and floors as an hybrid flat slab\/beam structure. Conceived as a simple, elevated open-sided box, the building\u2019s elongated glazed western fa\u00e7ade takes advantage of views and daylight penetration. To avoid overheating, this fa\u00e7ade adopts a corrugated profile like an out-stretched accordion; with glazed panels facing due-north and solid insulated panels facing due west.
\nThe building comprises three levels, with a semi-underground basement containing changing rooms and a cycle shop\/workshop. The ground floor, entered from a raised landscaped terrace comprises the main building entrance and fitness gym spaces, whilst the top floor provides aerobic \/yoga studios and consultation rooms. The basement works as a concrete plinth supporting the raised sculptural timber and glass box.
\nA structural timber stair of cross-laminated treads connects the three floor levels illuminated by a rooflight \u2013 clouds visible as they pass overhead. The building operates 24 hours a day.
\nIn the design stages, dRMM identified the importance of visual connections through the building as a means of providing a sense of openness and passive surveillance. To this end, a central void connects the first and ground floor gym spaces whilst allowing natural daylight deep into the plan. In a single powerful move this large \u2018hole\u2019 in the building also reveals the didactic, inventive structure and construction logic with a spectacular space, showing the embodiment of the natural and holistic aims of the building\u2019s use.
\nDesigned and delivered in just 17 months \u2013 with the timber superstructure taking only 26 days to erect, dRMM are proud to have produced a building which testifies to the beauty, versatility and efficiency of engineered timber, and which offers outstanding facilities for the well-being of the Sky workforce.<\/p>\n