‘How was it possible that Antwerp, this bustling city with its fashion reputation, diamond trade, and so much more, only had these typical-looking, run-of-the-mill gyms?’ asks Tiffany Stevens when recalling the frustration her husband David Box and she experienced as personal trainers in the Flemish city.
The couple started a personal training studio in Antwerp’s Zurenborg area, then founded M4teria, a high-end personal gym in the same neighbourhood. Clients there egged them on to open another gym concept, just 6 months after M4teria was up and running.
The reception area of The Brick Gym in Antwerp, Belgium
That concept became The Brick, a contemporary fitness space located in Antwerp’s hip South area. ‘We accidentally heard these premises were vacant through a friend, and immediately fell in love’, says Stevens. ‘It used to be a warehouse at first, then an office and stockroom for a Belgian menswear brand.’
Many of the building’s original bones were preserved: floors were stripped to reveal the weathered layer underneath, concrete pillars were kept, brick walls exposed. From the street level entrance, steel stairs lead up to the reception and sitting area, behind which a partition partly hides strength training and cardio equipment from view. Another steel staircase leads to the second floor level, where a glass partition divides a mirrored area for group lessons and an additional area for strength training. Another partition there is decorated with a playful Studio Job pattern.
The seating area of The Brick Gym in Antwerp, Belgium
‘For the concept for the interior, we didn’t work with interior designers’, explains Stevens of Box and hers’ curation of the furnishings, which were mostly sourced at RR Interiors in Knokke and IKEA.
‘We wanted to keep the character of the building intact, first of all’, she continues. ‘Secondly, we wanted to give a warm, welcoming feel to every part of the space that is not directly linked to the gym itself.’
As a result, the sitting area radiates a homely loft atmosphere, with mustard yellow, velvet sofas and green Gubi Beetle chairs. ‘We chose a beautiful sculpted oak wood table to welcome our guests, which is intentionally lower than the counters you would usually find in gyms – we were aiming for an open aesthetic more often found in boutique hotels.’
The minimal, concrete changing rooms and sauna boast rainshowers, Vola taps and hair and skincare products by Marie Stella Maris. ‘It’s a complete experience, unique in Belgium’, says Stevens. ‘We don’t want our clients to say ‘I’m going to the gym’, but, ‘I’m going to The Brick.’
The contemporary fitness space is located in Antwerp’s hip South area
The reception area
Floors have been stripped to reveal the weathered layer underneath, concrete pillars kept, brick walls exposed
A partition is decorated with a playful Studio Job pattern
Beetle-juice green is a theme colour throughout
Along with mustard yellows and sun-baked reds
A partition partly hides strength training and cardio equipment from view
The minimal, concrete changing rooms and sauna boast rain showers and Vola taps
A view of the changing area
INFORMATION
For more information, visit The Brick Gym website
ADDRESS
Waalsekaai 57, 2000 Antwerp
Belgium
-
A revamped Edinburgh apartment combines Californian-style modernism with modern craftArcher + Braun have transformed an apartment in a historic house with finely tuned contemporary additions and sympathetic attention to detail
-
Formafantasma’s biodiversity-boosting installation in a Perrier Jouët vineyard is cross-pollination at its bestFormafantasma and Perrier Jouët unveil the first project in their ‘Cohabitare’ initiative, ‘not only a work of art but also a contribution to the ecosystem’
-
Gingerbread City: architects sculpt London out of the season's favourite treatUntil December 29 in Chelsea, see London brought to life in a seasonal-appropriate medium by leading architects and designers
-
Bright ideas: sink your teeth into these dental care delightsFrom cracked teeth to mask breath, we chew over the best dental solutions for every oral care woe
-
The best gyms around the world for design buffs in 2018 -
Skate park design goes to the British seaside with Guy Hollaway’s F51F51 is Folkestone's brand new, dedicated, multistorey skate park, courtesy of the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust and Hollaway Studio
-
Community centre architecture redefined: Holborn House by 6a and Caragh Thuring opensHolborn House by 6a Architects and Caragh Thuring opens for the Holborn Community Association in London, bridging art and community architecture with people at its heart
-
Pink concrete skatepark is a striking urban landmark in the Chihuahuan DesertA team of architects, landscape designers, sociologists and urban planners came together to create La Duna, a fine example of skatepark architecture on the northern border of Mexico
-
Last chance to play: Yinka Ilori's colourful basketball court in Canary Wharf is a slam dunkArtist and designer Yinka Ilori applied his signature colourful geometries to his design for this new public basketball court in Canary Wharf, London
-
Building muscle: London architecture walks and runsTry these London architecture walks and runs for some physical and intellectual edification
-
Janne Tuunanen captures modernist architecture of renovated Helsinki Olympic StadiumPhotographer Janne Tuunanen captures the sharp modernist architecture of the recently renovated Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Finland in his latest series
