Disability organisation Purple has claimed that health club operators and gyms are losing "millions of pounds of revenue" every year by "turning their backs on disabled consumers", with design and architecture and access some of the areas most in need of improvement. Purple is basing its view on a poll of 500 disabled people, conducted ahead of Purple Tuesday – an international event taking place on 12 November which focuses

A new report has found that the “Superblocks” model of city planning used in Barcelona could save lives and increase life expectancy in the city as a result of improved population health. The Barcelona Superblocks project was conceived to reclaim public space, reduce motorised transport, promote active mobility, green the city and help to cool the city. Superblocks comprise multiple city blocks joined together with their internal streets pedestrianised. The

High-end fitness giant Equinox has ventured into the hotel market with the opening of its first property in New York City, US. Located at the 72-storey skyscraper 35 Hudson Yards, the 212-bedroom hotel will focus on wellness. Facilities include a 60,000sq ft (5,574 sq m) Equinox-branded health club, a 27,000sq ft (2,500sq m) luxury spa and indoor and outdoor pools. There will also be a healthy-eating restaurant called Electric Lemon,

Corporate Fitness Works (CFW) has launched a fitness club design division, responding to demand from commercial real estate owners and developers wanting to include a fitness element in their projects. US-based CFW has carved out a market in developing and managing health clubs and programmes for corporations, such as New York Life and Volkswagen. The new division, called CFW Design, will cater for the increased demand from developers wanting to

Health club design can play a crucial role in improving member retention – partly by making exercisers "forget" about pain and feelings of discomfort during training. Speaking to HCM, US-based gym owner and designer David Barton describes design as a crucial element of a successful health club. “Ultimately, we’re selling something people don’t like," Barton explains. "There are lots of ways to get people in on day one, but how

Chinese studio Towodesign have completed work on Dr. Bravura – a health-centric eatery in Shanghai that specialises in a unique delicacy: bird's nests. The 119 sq m space, which the architects say is based on the concept of "Research and Development for Health" is furnished with gold-painted stands, shelves, and lighting fixtures, as well as glass displays which create the ambience of an art gallery. Each hexagonal display – shaped

Equinox has revealed it will begin offering co-working space in its high-end health clubs. The company has signed a partnership with premium flexible workspace provider Industrious, which marks the launch of an entirely new category for Equinox. Industrious has an in-house design team, led by architect Eivind Karlsen as head of design. Operating under the co-brand, Industrious at Equinox, the first location will be at the 72-storey skyscraper 35 Hudson

The Preidlhof Hotel and Spa in South Tyrol, Italy, has unveiled a Dream Well Suite, which has won this year’s Innovation Award at the European Health and Spa Awards. Guests staying in the Dream Well Suite at Preidlhof can awaken to a slow-starting bird concert and sunbeams finding their way through treetops, or fall asleep to a sunset at a small mountain lake. Daniel Lathan at Sonami AG – who

National Football League (NFL) franchise the Dallas Cowboys has partnered with architects Perkins + Will, healthcare provider Baylor Scott & White Health and a local school district to launch a facility dedicated to community health and wellbeing. The 300,000sq ft (28,000sq m) Sports Therapy & Research complex – which opened yesterday (20 June) on the Cowboys-themed campus The Star in Frisco, Texas – is an educational opportunity for visitors as

Saudi Arabia's government has revealed plans to invest SAR50bn (US$13.3bn, €11.2bn, £9.9bn) into entertainment, health, sports and education initiatives, as the country attempts to modernise and improve its citizens' quality of life. Announced yesterday (3 May) by the Kingdom's General Entertainment Authority (GEA), it is understood that the investment will generate upward of 300,000 jobs by 2020. “Government spending on the initiatives will total around 60 per cent of the

Health club design specialists zynk Design have completed a third Intencity training studio for fitness firm Fusion Lifestyle, which has just opened its doors at Park Road Pools and Fitness, Haringey, London. The team were briefed by Fusion to transform an existing studio into a dedicated, multi-functional training zone designed to give users “access to a boutique fitness experience.” The Fusion brand’s distinctive red and black aesthetics have been used

Dutch architect Ben van Berkel and his design firm UNStudio have launched a tech startup to “improve the health and wellbeing of people in buildings worldwide.” UNSense will explore and develop new integrated tech solutions specifically designed for cities, buildings and indoor environments. It will be run as an independent sister company, headquartered in Amsterdam FreedomLab Campus. Explaining the concept, van Berkel said: “We are living in the age of

Global architecture and design firm Gensler have collaborated with sports giant Reebok to create a new concept transforming gas stations across the US into fitness hubs. The proposal, called Get Pumped, is a long-term vision for adaptive reuse inspired by the rising demand for electric automobiles, which will lessen the demand for gas stations. Gensler have imagined various ways in which these redundant facilities could become community spaces, “where people

A team of academic researchers, landscape architects and artists have come together to look at how nature in cities affects mental wellbeing. Researchers at King's College London, landscape architects J & L Gibbons and art foundation Nomad Projects have used smartphone-based technology to assess the relationship between nature in cities and mental wellbeing in real time. Not surprisingly, they found that being outdoors, seeing trees, hearing birdsong, seeing the sky

Luxury health club operator Equinox has converted a historic bank building in London's Mayfair into a gym, spa and member’s lounge, with the opening scheduled for next month. The ground floor, basement and mezzanine levels of 12 St James’s Street have been transformed by architects Woods Bagot and interior designer Joyce Wang to create “an intimate, science-fuelled environment that awes with beguiling spaces and exceptional details”. External alterations to the

The British multinational Debenhams is partnering former Virgin Active co-founder Frank Reed to launch in-store gyms as part of the retailer’s strategy to attract more customers and a younger female base. Reed’s Sweat! gyms are set to be trialled in three stores from early 2018 under a membership model. The deal is part of the Debenhams Redesigned strategy, which involves working with strategic partners to deliver its plan of making

A sculptural sports complex has opened to the public in Montreal’s largest borough, with a design that celebrates movement and human activity. The Complexe Sportif de Saint-Laurent, designed by Saucier + Perrotte Architectes and Hughes Condon Marler Architects, is a three-storey building located close to the city centre. The facility houses an indoor football pitch, two swimming pools, a gymnastics palestra, a multi-purpose events hall and training facilities. The centre

Emerging architecture practice Studio Saxe have completed a boutique hotel and yoga studio set into the tropical forest of Nosara, Costa Rica. Nomel and Mariya Libid, the owners of the Hotel Nalu-Nosara, wanted to create a resort for the visitors who travel to Nosara because of its reputation for health and wellness tourism and surfing. Studio Saxe were commissioned to design the hotel, which includes a yoga studio and multipurpose

The Cornell Institute for Health Futures (CIHF) – an academic centre within New York’s Cornell University – has received a grant to support the creation of an undergraduate minor in Health, Hospitality and Design. The programme is reported to be the first university programme in the US to combine those three disciplines. The minor is part of a larger suite of multidisciplinary educational programmes CIHF develops and supports for healthcare,

Toronto Zoo is about to open its CA$18m (US$13.6m, €12.1m, £10.7m) Wildlife Health Centre – a brand new high-tech zoo hospital and laboratory with visitor facilities for the public. The zoo held an official opening ceremony for the 50,000sq ft (4,645sq m) centre on 26 June, with the facility opening to the public on Saturday (1 July). Once open, visitors will be able to access a public viewing area, which

A new pay-as-you-go lifestyle gym for boutique operator Core Collective looks set to be built in London’s St John’s Wood, with Westminster City Council giving the project the go ahead. Waind Gohil + Potter Architects (WG+P), who specialise in wellbeing and leisure design, have created the concept – described as “a relaxed, luxury environment and where people want to hangout, not just workout.” The gym will feature contemporary design features,

A 3,500sq m (37,600sq ft) Shangri-La health club designed to “inject energy into the heart of Beijing’s central business district” will open in the Chinese capital in June. The forthcoming 450-bedroom Hotel Jen Beijing – a Shangri-La property – will operate the Trainyard Gym, keeping it open 24/7 in a bid to cement the facility as “the city’s go-to spot for fitness, recreation and nutrition.” Designed by Stickman Design, the

Architecture and planning studio Ecosistema Urbano have won a design competition to shape the future of Florida’s West Palm Beach; creating a model waterfront city that is “intelligent, flexible and responsive.” The Van Alen Institute and the City of West Palm Beach organised the ‘Shore to Core’ design and research contest. They wanted to explore how designers, urban planners and municipal leaders can fulfil their responsibility “to create healthier, more

The government of Canada and Quebec municipality have each pledged to invest US$4.4m (€4m, £3.4m) for the construction of a large-scale aqua-gym complex in the town of Dolbeau-Mistassini, the government of which will fund the same amount. The facility will feature nn indoor waterpark, including a shallow pool, slides and water games; a six-corridor pool; two diving areas; a sauna; two mezzanines; and a gymnasium. "Cultural and recreational infrastructure helps

Luxury health and spa resort Preidlhof in South Tyrol, Italy, will re-open on 1 April following a €6m ($6.44m, £5m) refurbishment that includes the addition of suites with 'spa loggias.' Overseen by Austrian designer Reinhard Köck, the resort will unveil 36 new luxury suites and five luxury penthouse suites, bringing the total number of rooms to 70. The suites will all feature spa loggias and some include whirlpools and private

Danish architecture practice Dissing+Weitling have designed a 7.6km (4.7 miles) elevated bicycle route – billed as “the longest in the world” – in the heart of the Chinese city Xiamen. The ‘cycling skyway’ has been built in order to decrease traffic congestion and promote greener and more sustainable forms of transportation, as well as more active and healthy lifestyles. It was designed and completed in only six months. The route

Wellness real estate and technology firm Delos has announced the latest in a long line of strategic alliances as it continues its bid to expand the global reach of the WELL Building Standard in the architecture and design sector. The latest partnership is with full-service consulting and engineering firm Glumac. The deal will leverage the latter’s extensive network of sustainably-minded clients, encouraging them to pursue the healthy building standard for