Core Collective is not your typical gym. Taking a page from the coworking model that has redefined the business world and methodology of work in the past decades, it is essentially a wellness and fitness hub offering not only exercise equipment, but also the services of healthcare professionals and fitness instructors.

Conceived by space and business innovator Aurum, which also runs coworking space Collision 8, Core Collective is housed in the central business district and offers 29 furnished treatment rooms for rent to a host of experts such as physiotherapists, chiropractors, nutritionists and even traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners. Alongside are exercise studios and a fully equipped gym where enthusiasts can take classes ranging from ballet to combat sports.

These facilities have been arranged in a seamless flow by multidisciplinary design studio FARM. “The spaces are designed for varying scales – from small to big, quiet to loud, low to high energy – catering to the wide range of activities and events. We hoped to create an environment that is conducive for individuals to find both their core interests and collective synergy with the community,” says FARM co-founder Tiah Nan Chyuan, who headed the project.

One challenge was to connect all of these spaces across three different floors. The entrance level has been designed as a multi-use studio and event space. The light timber and olive colour that defines the space becomes the signature running through all three floors. Here, it forms tiered seating and a house-shaped structure framing counter seating and a consultation area.

On both the twenty-first and twenty-second floors, a timber-clad portal containing the reception opens up to an open-plan lounge area. These form pivotal social and working spaces, Tiah highlights. Treatments rooms, studios and training areas flank both sides of this inviting node, which is decked out with a variety of seating types.

Typically all mirrors and machines, the image of the gym is softened at Core Collective. The olive shade found on the first storey washes over the corridor walls leading to the treatment rooms, creating a relaxing ambience. Curved corners, arched thresholds and shades of brown for the room furnishings contribute to this, as does the use of rattan screens that informally demarcate zones and allow for privacy in the lounges.

These decisions reflect the Asian philosophy on wellbeing that Core Collective follows, suggests Tiah. Hence, natural materials are celebrated, with earth tones as a calming base. Together with rattan, glazed tiles and terracotta tiles are chosen to highlight nodes and vistas within the large space.

Greenery enlivens the space through customised booth seating integrated with planters, while an assortment of cove lighting and task lighting creates different light settings and ambiences. Varying door knob designs and neon signage with tongue-in-cheek taglines, which are installed throughout, add an element of fun.

Obviously, the design of Core Collective signals that going to the gym is so much more than just clocking up the miles. It invites members to linger, observe and engage with a like-minded community, and in the process, partake in a more holistic approach to health and fitness.       

Photography by Studio Periphery (courtesy of FARM).