FUNCTIONAL
FITNESS
By Bryan Green
REQUIRES
FUNCTIONAL
DESIGN
T
o develop a truly
functional commercial
exercise space,
both the end-user and
the facility operator’s
objectives need to be
considered throughout
the design process. It takes
strong planning to clarify
the objectives of both
audiences sufficiently. The
process of initiating an
effective functional design
plan begins with the goal
of the project: a clear
direction as to what it is to
be accomplished and why.
It should also be noted that despite an
operator’s best intention for the use of
the space, staff and end-users often take
alternative direction once it becomes
their daily domain. After all, this is the
36
fitness business and people do the
darnedest things inside the four walls of
a gym.
Rarely is the end-user represented
directly in the operator’s functional
design process. Therefore, their needs
must be best anticipated and deeply
imagined.
A functional design professional
who specialises in the planning and
development of exercise spaces
must vividly imagine his/her use of
the equipment and tools within the
environment so as to ensure a tight
integration with equipment, other users
and additional facility constraints.
Functional Fitness
To be clear, the exercise principles
and considerations of functional fitness
include: cardiovascular endurance,
muscular strength, muscular endurance,
flexibility, balance and core stability.
Functional fitness exercises train the
body’s systems (skeletal, muscular, nero)
to work together and prepare them
for daily tasks by simulating common
movements done at home, work or in
sport.
Functional Design
A functional design plan establishes
focus on the efficiency and usability of a
given space for its intended purpose. It
is concerned with the size of the fixtures
(equipment) and the working room
required during their utilisation. It must
address the total number of people
occupying the area at a given time and
if and how they interact together.
Functional design accounts for
adjacencies and usage type of all
objects and how they relate to one
another. Further, the plan must concern
itself with the existing constraints of
the space, including elevations, area,
lighting, plumbing, electrical, noise and
applicable floor covering aspects.
For perspective, an interior designer is
concerned with styling, textures, floor
and wall coverings, and all related areas
of aesthetic and sensory interaction with
the users. Therefore, a functional design
specialist is more specifically focused on
the interaction of the space with those
that will utilise it for both its intended and
unintended purposes.
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - WINTER 2018