Technogym Spa - Fitness Centre Design and Installation

There have always been those hospitality venues that have an 'out-or-the-box' design. A particular cut above. A different feel. Bulgari did it by branding products into a living space. One Aldwych in London graced luxury suites with sleek running machines. Design, in other words, is often about passing the limits and catering to a customer seeking something out of the ordinary. For those who aren’t there just to rest their weary heads.

Like these one-of-a-kind hotels, a business known as the Wellness Company believes that the being exceptional is sometimes about looking in the direction many forget – directly at the client. As the world's 2nd largest health and fitness equipment maker, Technogym has notched up the innovation by turning the attention away from the product. "We wanted to introduce a concept to usher in the post-machine era," says Technogym president and founder Nerio Alessandri, "one that puts the client in the center of attention. This concept is called Kinesis."

STATE-OF-THE-ART RESISTANCE SYSTEM

Stunningly designed, this undulating wall of sleek wood conceals a state of the art resistance system behind the exterior. A patented, cable workout uses full-gravity technology to enhance anyone's natural movements, making the mind the only limit in fitness. Called Kinesis, a word meaning "movement" in ancient Greek, this revolutionary innovation has world-famous designers raving. "Fantastique, fantastique, fantastique," raved Philippe Starck when laying eyes upon the installation at Salone del Mobile in Milan two years ago.

In perfect harmony with the quiescent yet health-oriented ambience of One & Only spa, Reethi Rah Maldives, Kinesis graces the island resort's wellness center. "The exquisite aesthetic appeal of Kinesis makes it perfect for the kind of embracing venue that is the Reethi Rah," says Tom Koenig Oppenhiemer, co-director of The Communications Store pr agency in London after visiting the paradise resort, "Imagine working with your fitness trainer and looking directly out onto unspoiled views of the Indian Ocean – the ultimate in Zen luxury. To one side of the Kinesis system, one huge glass wall of doors can be left open to the beach, allowing a subtle breeze to add to the intoxicating feeling of health and freedom. Bliss".

CUTTING EDGE FITNESS EQUIPMENT

Always cutting-edge and driven by innovation, Italian born-and-bred Technogym takes Made in Italy one step further…and deeper. "Italians have been famous for fashion design for decades, but our Made in Italy is about feeling good, not just looking good," says 44-year old Alessandri. "And now we are starting to realize that authentic luxury is all a variation of that".

Alessandri, who developed his first fitness appliance in his garage in 1983, and his company are based near the Adriatic coast. From a one-machine kick off some twenty years ago, the ingenious entrepreneur now has more than 1,300 employees and 12 branches worldwide, as well as 40 direct distributors in 60 countries. Over 30,000 Fitness and Rehab Centres and 20,000 private households in Italy alone are equipped with Technogym machines.

This synergetic relationship between the leader in Wellness innovation, Technogym, and the hospitality sector has solidified within the company so strongly that 30 mil euro of the company’s 275 mil euro turnover comes from hospitality projects. Gianluca Laganà, International Hotel Key Account Manager for Technogym, is enthusiastic that this is not a passing trend. "Design is a cornerstone for creative growth in the hospitality sector and real estate developments," he underlines, "something that the world’s great designers are singing."

Since the time that Stark gushed the slew of “fantastiques” on Kinesis, others have made their voice heard, too. Norman Foster, Adam Tiani and Antonio Citterio (designer of Bulgari hotel) all reverberate the same call to designing spaces with a Wellness ethos. So much weight is being given to this trend, that Citterio himself led the design for the new Kinesis personal, launched at this years Salone del Mobile in Milan. "The future of design is in harmonious Wellness living surroundings. And the future is now."

From the Park Hyatt Ararat in Moscow, priming up to install Kinesis, to Carnival luxury cruise liner Arcadia, feeling good is ever more becoming a crucial part of design. Philippe Starck goes one step further to say that, "The world of design is ever nearer the world of Wellness, and integrated spaces are the future. Technogym is cutting edge in creating products for these spaces."