26 Mar 2020
Cognitive Design's body-positive gym design draws on clinical psychology
BY Stu Robarts
Cognitive Design have designed a gym in Georgia, US, with an emphasis on shared experiences, body image, dignity, motivation and community engagement.
Clarity Fitness describes itself as "the place for people anywhere in their fitness journey who want to become active participants in a healthy life. It is a place where people can gain insight into themselves through their fitness journey."
Located in the city of Decatur, the 7,000 sq ft (650sq m) facility was due to launch in March after a soft launch in January, but is temporarily closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Facilities include private personal training rooms, rope walls, a ball-slam wall and a private stretching area.
Front-lit narrow mirrors and reflective metal contribute to positive body image interactions, while communal changing facilities feature marble showers and floor-to-ceiling windows in the gym provide a connection with outside and allow natural light to flood into the space.
"Working closely with a clinical psychologist, we designed Clarity Fitness to support a thriving social community," explained Matt Finn, founder of Cognitive Design, to CLAD. "As a body-positive gym, it facilitates health by incorporating a number of unique features, including a display of smashed scales.
"This taxidermy of sorts rejects the unhealthy idea that a person’s worth can be measured by their weight and challenges people to deeply consider exercise, their bodies, and themselves."
Space in the gym is divided into distinct areas, creating a variety of novel shared exercise experiences that are complemented by communal spaces.
"We were purposeful to leave small spaces for conversation," Matt said. "These often-forgotten spaces are so critical, they’re where people can connect without feeling hurried or in the way of others."
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