New Warehouse Gym by VHSD Design in Dubai – All photos by Oculis Project.
Interiors – Dubai-based interior architecture firm VSHD Design unveils its third concept health-club for the The Warehouse Gym brand in Dubai. “The city has become a very competitive market, with everyone striving to introduce projects that really stand out,” notes Rania Hamed, founder of VSHD Design. “From restaurants and bars to gyms and spas, Dubai’s international community is seeking hip, design-focused atmospheres that offer more than traditional spaces.”
- RELATED STORIES: discover more hyperactive and sporty design, interiors and architecture on Archipanic…
Imbued by brutalist values and aesthetics VSHD Design designed and strategically positioned raw stamped concrete walls, columns and beams to define distinct zones for different aspects of training, ensuring that each area would be conducive to the hard-working. The firm erected a coffered ceiling featuring artificial light wells that further emphasize the underground feel of the space.
Above the ceiling VSHD designed a customized grid structure with an elaborate track system running in all directions throughout space. The flexible tracks are fitted with two kinds of spotlights that focus on the gym’s equipment and stations, adjusted in number and intensity according to the desired lighting of each training zone.
“The psychology of working out has evolved into greater focus on the space itself, which elevates the importance of lighting,” explains Hamed. “As opposed to the singular, fully-lit environment of a traditional gym, we have created a variety of moods through lighting that accentuates the individual spaces and activities.”
Vertical lighting is equally integral in the gym’s design, with LED lights inserted behind a series of 8 strategically-placed circular mirrors. The LED lights provide mood lighting that reflects softly on the stamped concrete texture of the walls.
Based on the concept of infinity and beyond, glancing into the oversized circular mirrors creates the illusion of an infinite light tunnel. The strategic positioning of the mirrors provides a seemingly endless repetition of circles, collectively reflecting to create a sense of unlimited space and light, interacting in symbiotic ways.
The reception area and locker rooms breathe vintage feels with elements of red and white infused into reflective mirrors, flooring and bathroom tiling, and the optical tease of diagonal lines across the locker doors. From basic construction materials to the VSHD-designed grid system, mirrors, furnishings, and finishes, the entire project was locally manufactured and procured.
All photos by Oculis Project – Courtesy of VSHD.
