In their first major commercial project to date, Woodward Architects brings a bespoke sense of craft and material authenticity to this wellness destination in Balgowlah.

The brief for Positive Energy was based on a mission to positively impact people’s lives through a wellness facility offering multiple movement modes encouraging flexibility/mobility, meditation, breathwork and nutrition. The client also had a strong creative vision (as well as being a movement devotee and business owner, she is also a DJ), bringing Woodward Architects references of New York warehouse conversions and Miami art deco aesthetics. For her, it was important that the environment be welcoming and imbued with character – in contrast to the generically utilitarian gyms of the suburbs.

For a practice primarily known for their residential work, the appeal of the project was matched by the challenges. They needed to first navigate development controls demanding raising the floor level for flood mitigation, which competed with accessibility requirements. Once that was rationalised, they moved to the practical criteria – how to cater for all the services the business was to offer?

The designers found clues, ironically enough, through the same development controls that had caused the floor height headaches. They realised there was extra space to be found on the site through height allowances and masterfully worked in a second floor, opening up generous double-height volumes orientated to the north.

Woodward Architects also drew on the concept of a hortus conclusus – an enclosed walled or bounded garden, here translated as an internal courtyard that delivers natural light and ventilation to the interior. This sensitive intervention provides respite from the post-industrial context of this Balgowlah zone; it nourishes the eyes as well as body, creating moments of outlook and biophilic connection in a site without conventional prospect. A rear lightwell further illuminates second-floor spaces and with all the inserted sightlines.

“You can be in different spaces, gain different viewpoints and still maintain visual connection,” says Principal, Matthew Woodward.

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The spatial choreography positions a deck and juice bar at the entry, in front of the open-skied courtyard. Behind is the large multi-functional fitness room, with a no-lights spin room tucked along one perimeter. Stairs lead to an upper bridge, accessing therapy rooms with ice baths and infrared sauna as well as a wellness room and children’s play area/creche. It’s all punctuated by several voids.

The open fitness and wellness rooms are also reconfigurable, enabling creative commercial programming. “The client is very community-minded and is considering opening up spaces for exhibitions and events, bringing together art and health,” Woodward comments.

Along with practical hurdles, the practice also faced an underlying aesthetic ones. The client’s references were layered and full of character, in the unique way of older buildings. The project site in Balgowlah, meanwhile, was technically an old printing factory; unfortunately, the old bones and indeed the entire building was in such a state of disrepair that it needed to be demolished and rebuilt almost entirely.

“The challenge was giving a new building the feel of being there a long time,” explains Woodward. To achieve this, material choices prioritise raw, textured finishes and embrace imperfection. Exposed structure, render aside, combines with handmade Portuguese tiles, whose glazed, slightly crackled surfaces in regenerative green symbolise the hopeful energy that punctuates the business ethos. It’s a stark contrast to the sleek and hyper-masculine aesthetics of many fitness spaces, ones that aesthetically perpetuate the myth of perfection. Instead, material choices here prioritise human qualities of natural ageing and weathering – warm timber, acoustic woven ceiling and wall panels providing softness alongside functional sound control, with curtains and screens enabling spatial adaptation.

Positive Energy operates as wellness beacon, demonstrating that commercial projects can give back to street and community. A generous arched entry at the street is an inviting threshold. The publicly accessible juice bar connects interior to exterior whilst activating the street. Garden beds, planting and the central courtyard oasis weave greenery throughout, echoing a common thread in Woodward Architects’ established portfolio via the integration of nature.

Another commonality is the residential-level bespoke finish, which proved a challenge on site yet was well worth it – for both client and practice. “We enjoyed seeing the whole business side – a project that’s not just a standalone building, but part of a business ecosystem. It’s exciting to witness the building as a vessel to allow and enable that,” concludes Woodward.

Woodward Architects
woodwardarchitects.com.au

Photography
Brett Boardman