The ‘Anti-Gym’ Gym: R.A.W Melbourne by Travis Walton

Gyms are one of the last realms of poor design experience. Workplaces have moved away from the grey sea of cubicles, and retail spaces are moving away from simple points of sale towards fuller experiences, but somehow the model of gym design has remained relatively untouched in Australia, until now. Aussie health and fitness company Ready And Willing has teamed up with Travis Walton Architecture and Interior Design to develop a new kind of gym.

“The best thing about it is you come in, you’re in the middle of the city, it’s crazy on the street, everyone running around on their phones, you come in here, you don’t know where you are, you can completely zone out,” explains Walton. “You can do your meditation, your yoga, whatever you’re there to do, go relax in the lounge and you’re taken away. It’s a really tranquil experience. When you emerge back into the street, it’s only at that point you realise you were in the city the whole time.”

The project takes visual cues from high-end office and retail environments, but provides spaces specifically suited to the needs of R.A.W. members. We all expect a much better design experience nowadays, as we pay more for premium services, for Walton, this project wasn’t about creating gym that looked different, it was about helping his client to develop a whole new category in the market.

Want more? Read the full story in Indesign #68, on sale Feb 9!

Get the full specs for this project here.