The Pillar
“The
Pillar” is the future of fitness. It is not a gym; it is a lifestyle
rehabilitation center. It is intended not for exercise, but for a reboot of
your entire lifestyle. With “The Pillar”, you enter as a novitiate, and rise up
until you unlock the knowledge of how to balance yourself in mind body and
spirit. Much of my design was inspired by the levels of knowledge attained in
the act of acquiring a healthy lifestyle, and by following that example; I was
able to create an ideal design.
The
layout of the building is both simple and elegant, but also embodying the four
stages of The Pillar’s lifestyle therapy. Externally, the pillar looks like a
stack of four floating rooms, slightly off-center from each other. When
entering the first floor, you are welcomed by a cool ambiance, and a check-in
desk. There is a mirrored wall, showing your reflection, as well as a large television
set on the wall that plays your introductory videos, this step is Motivation,
the urge to change your life. Up the stairs you enter the outdoors work out
zone and an indoor yoga room, this floor is called Perspiration, the work of
changing yourself. Up a second flight of stairs is the outdoors Jacuzzi and
Juice Bar as well as a full indoors kitchen, this step is called Activation,
the mindset of changing yourself. The final flight of steps leads to the fourth
and final floor which contains a full physician’s office, as well as a sauna,
this floor is Reclamation, the act of claiming your life as your own once more.
The very top floor is completely outdoors and it is simply a few plants, a
grill, and a few lawn chairs. It is Relaxation, at last. Once customers have
reached their goals, they are allowed to bask in the life that they have now
made their own. This therapeutic center would be built in the suburbs of
Chicago because it is close to a big stressful city, so that the customers
themselves can reach it easily and far away enough that they will not feel the
stress from the city. The structure is built in a very modern design, while
also keeping some retro mid-1960s functional sensibility. The building was
designed with the environment in mind, keeping open-air cooling as opposed to
wasteful air conditioners, as well as a fully automated water recycling system.
Its design, especially externally, complements the construction, as well as the
design of the modern and postmodern construction of newer Chicago suburbs.
The
color scheme I selected for the building features mainly cool blues and fresh
whites. The effect on the customers when placed in this lighting is one of both
relaxation and rejuvenation. It has, for all intents and purposes, the effect
of “recharging your batteries”. The white of the exterior does an excellent job
of standing out from the environment, and yet in its muted tone it does not
overshadow it.
The
greatest challenge of this project was keeping the design limited within a 20 x
40 space. However this could be solved with my view on sustainability in
design, which is vertical expansion, rather than a horizontal layout. I fully
support the importance and the need for eco-friendly design and the future of
sustainability. I believe that this and only this can enable us to create a
better society more in tune to the needs of the future.
First Floor
First Floor Lap Pool
First Floor Lobby
Second Floor
Second Floor Exercise Patio
Second Floor Yoga Room
Third Floor
Third Floor Jacuzzi and Juice Lounge
Third Floor Kitchen
Fourth Floor
Fourth floor Doctor's Office
Fourth Floor Sauna
Roof
Roof Sunspot
Final Design
Spec/Feature/Purpose Sheet
Public Gym by Mallory Chambers
Location: Chicago, IL
20” x 40”
Sustainability
-Made of used shipping containers
-Automated water recycling
-Open Air cooling vents
First Floor
-Lap Pool
Second Floor
-Exercise Machines
-Freeweights
-Patio
-Yoga Room with Natural Lighting
Third Floor
-Full Kitchen/Classroom
-Salt Water Jacuzzi
Fourth Floor
-Medical Care Center
-Stone Heated Sauna
Roof
-Greenery
-UVA/UVB Ray Sensors (Umbrellas)
