A new year offers a host of new design trends for fitness centers. With a focus on creating an inviting, efficient, and modern atmosphere, fitness centers must be designed to adapt to customers in this ever-changing market. The Active Fitness Center Design + Development Team shares the following fitness center design trends for the year ahead:

Indoor to Outdoor Experiences: A growing trend in fitness center design is leveraging ground floor spaces that open up directly to the outside creating a seamless indoor/outdoor experience. This provides plenty of natural light and fresh air coming into the center while allowing members to take their workouts outside to enjoy fresh air and sunshine during their mid-day workout! Below is an example of this at two of our most recent fitness center design projects for The Gym 10100 and Playa Vista Fitness Center.

Open Floor Plans: Fitness centers are increasingly adopting open floor plans to create an inviting atmosphere that encourages members to engage with one another and have the space they need for their own workouts, warm-ups, and cool-down with equipment nearby. Open floor plans also allow centers to maximize their space and provide members with more flexibility in their movements.

Recovery Tools + Programs: Recovery programming is an important part of any exercise regimen and a hot topic today. It can help sustain physical performance over time, reduce soreness, and reduce the risk of injury. As personal recovery devices and tools continue to grow in popularity Active has created the Re:Store Lab which provides members the opportunity to work with personal recovery tools in a relaxing and guided environment. Re:Store includes recovery therapy, percussion devices, massage protocols, stretching techniques and more.

Program Spaces: A branded program space allows you to customize the look and feel of your facility to make it unique and memorable. Consider custom wall murals, decals, or wall graphics to help create a branded and motivating space. Group exercise and group training continue to grow in popularity year after year. There are many design features to consider when designing a group exercise studio but one of the bigger considerations to think about is the flexibility of the space. To ensure that the studio’s dedicated square footprint will be maximized day after day and year after year the flexibility of the space is critical. Items to consider should include, flooring, lighting, AV, storage solutions, and general acceptability for members and guests. 

Environmental and Inspiration Graphic Design: Environmental design elements can play an important role in creating a welcoming and inviting atmosphere. Incorporating natural elements like plants, wood, and stone can create a calming, tranquil atmosphere. The Active Marketing Team are experts at creating inspirational visuals and custom-branded experiences within a fitness center space through environmental design. We also appreciate collaborating with local artists to tie in and highlight the communities we serve.

Finally, there is a growing trend toward creating a more holistic fitness experience for members. This includes offering a balance of varying modality group fitness classes, nutrition counseling, and mindfulness classes, all of which Active offers. Some fitness centers are also incorporating amenities such as saunas, treatment rooms for massage, acupuncture, and meditation spaces to create a complete wellness experience for their members.

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Need help with engaging your community to live actively? For more than 30 years, Active has designed cutting-edge fitness facilities that attract and engage communities. We’re a premier partner for builders, property managers, corporations, and hospital systems throughout North America to offer industry-leading fitness amenities. 

Contact us today to learn more.

Written by:

Director of Design & Development Justin Honas

Justin designs modern fitness centers and provides smart equipment procurement for Active Wellness clients. With a steady pulse on space planning trends, Justin’s expertise produces solid solutions with intuitive innovation for the target community. His partnerships with key vendors and attention to detail drives consistent results for Active and our partners.

Director of Client Services Mark Siebert

Mark provides our business development team with proactive support through project management, operational guidance, and new partner development. He’s experienced in developing medically integrated programs, corporate wellness programming, and commercial club management. Prior to taking on this role, Mark held fitness-industry positions including general manager, operations manager, and fitness manager.

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https://www.activewellness.com/blog/2022-fitness-wellness-trends

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https://www.activewellness.com/blog/2021-fitness-design-trend-predictions 

https://www.activewellness.com/blog/actives-top-7-fitness-wellness-programming-trends-for-2021

https://www.activewellness.com/blog/5-medically-integrated-design-tips 

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