Fitness hub are a new breed of exercise facilities that combine the expertise of boutique studio workouts with the perks of a gym membership. Whether they offer live online classes or an app that lets clients book sessions on the go, they offer a more personalized experience than traditional gyms or the a la carte class offerings of workout memberships.
To stay ahead of the curve, a few NYCHA sites have embraced the idea and developed their own fitness hubs, providing residents with a convenient way to take care of their physical health while maintaining a healthy mental one. These hubs are a great example of how design thinking can help address challenges and bring innovative ideas to life in community settings.
ENYRLDC, NYCHA’s resident association and local partners collaborated to develop the East New York Restoration Local Development Corporation (ENYRLDC) fitness hub in Carver Houses. The ENYRLDC team consulted with residents throughout the design process to canvass their opinions about what they wanted in their facility. The result was a highly collaborative process that led to the creation of an innovative space that reflects and honors their needs.
For example, a large part of the design revolved around the inclusion of a wellness space that includes massage chairs and an array of yoga and pilates equipment. In addition, there is a high-tech fitness room that has an integrated biometric monitoring system and virtual trainer. This allows members to check their vitals, track their workout progress and even compare it against the rest of the gym’s members.
These kinds of interactive features are what set the Phive site apart from other gym sites, and are a reminder that small details can have a big impact when it comes to user experience. In this case, the page loading animations show the gym logo, an animated letter “P,” performing different exercises — a detail that takes up very little real estate, but creates a delightful moment of interaction for users.
Another fitness hub that gets the big picture is EGYM, which offers a smart training solution called the Fitness Hub that connects with all EGYM Smart Strength and Smart Cardio machines to make tracking and understanding member workout progression easier and more engaging. In addition, it helps instructors stay focused by automating the onboarding process and reducing the number of re-checks needed. fitness hub
