Strive health club, on the island of Jersey, is a brand-new purpose built 32,000 square foot facility, that had the ambitious goal of becoming a personal, community, and elite training hub to attract the UK’s best teams, players, and potential future stars, and put Jersey firmly on the map as a high-performance training destination.
THE SITUATION
sofSURFACES' premier fitness partner, IndigoFitness first met Ben Harvey, the driving force behind Strive, during FIBO in 2018. Ben’s research had taken him across to the US to capture ideas for the multi-million-pound project, and he explained his initial vision for a ‘playground to podium’ training facility, challenging IndigoFitness to create intelligent and engaging gym spaces that would cover 10,000 sq. ft, cater to regular members, academy and professional athletes, and cover activities such as group training, yoga, Pilates, and outdoor training.
THE SOLUTION
Ben engaged with IndigoFitness right from the start, and this is a great example of how working in collaboration with a client from the very early stages of a project can create a fantastic training space and maximize member experience. We were able to work together on details such as room shape, size and layout, and then design and manufacture tailor-made equipment to perfectly fit the space, such as the ariel yoga rig that we ceiling fixed in the yoga studio, or the boxing rails with retractable punchbag carriages that we fitted around the walls of the dojo and group training studio – both solutions maximising exercise possibilities and use of floor space.
It was also important to Ben to retain the Strive identity throughout the gym space, but also show differentiation between the member gym and academy gym. We were able to achieve this in a number of ways; firstly by powder-coating the equipment for each area in a different colour from the Strive brand pallet – black and green in one area, and red and white in the other. Secondly, Ben had a logo variation for each area, which we were able to replicate on the embroidered upholstery, the sub-surface printed graphics lifting platforms, and with tailor-made logos fitted to the frameworks.
Two functional training rigs were also designed specifically to meet the training requirements of Strive, and as we knew the small equipment requirements, we were able to design custom storage solutions to make sure kit was stored to create effective and safe training areas.
THE RESULT
The final facility comprises; 10,000 sq. ft. of gym space with separate member and academy training facilities, group training studios, two altitude rooms, group cycling studio, dojo, separate Pilates and yoga studios, and an outdoor training space with 3G pitch and container gym. After 4 years of planning, design, and construction, the initial dream and vision for the site has finally been realised. Our install teams were on the island for over 6 weeks, carrying out the flooring installation first, followed by wall and floor fixing then other equipment installation. We are very well prepared to be working on new build sites amongst other trades, meeting demanding deadlines, and have spent many years developing professional skills and purchasing the right equipment to work both safely and efficiently within a construction environment.
Within Strive, seven full-time coaches and two physiotherapists are on hand to offer their services to members and Jersey’s leading athletes. STRIVE wanted world firsts with members enjoying a full service, including access to all the facilities including doctors, physios, osteopaths, chiropractors, and personal trainers. The facilities have already impressed some of the biggest organizations in world sport, with the British and Irish Lions visiting to prepare for their 2021 tour of South Africa.
Keen to support their local community, a minimum of 15% of Strive’s annual membership income will be pumped straight into community projects, including supporting grassroots talent from all walks of life.
Training Space Conceptualization, design, installation, story and all assets provided by IndigoFitness.
