Designing a hybrid online and in-person gym: applying new developments from the pandemic era

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Date
2025-01-01
Authors
Nourian, Taravat
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Abstract

The COVID-19 isolation period and its restrictions on public spaces and physical activities made people use online methods to connect and access workout content. Due to the rise in the popularity of new virtual connections, traditional gym facilities will fail to succeed if they do not evolve to accommodate and support users' different synchronous and asynchronous physical activity routines. Accordingly, this practicum offers a new model for the interior design of a hybrid online and in-person gym that provides flexible and accessible workout services. The primary users selected for this project are adult women due to their higher interest in hybrid workout methods (Rada & Szabo, 2022) and their vulnerability and exposure to social pressure and negative body image (Gorgan, 2008). This practicum introduces practical guidelines for a new hybrid gym interior design that supports users' comfort and workout demands. Various research methods were applied, including analyzing relevant literature and precedents, exploring the design of video studio environments used by online trainers, and conducting a small pre- and post-pandemic case study investigation. The project uses the works of theoreticians such as Professor Sally Stone, urban psychologist Ray Oldenburg, researcher Sarah Gorgan, and philosopher and historian Michel Foucault to ensure the functionality and effectiveness of the proposed hybrid gym design. By incorporating the concepts of hybridity, threshold, third place, body image, and surveillance, the hybrid gym design not only caters to the needs of online and in-person gym members and fitness trainers but also tries to create a welcoming, comfortable and safe interior environment for women with different fitness levels. The incorporation of the concept of threshold focuses on the interior design implications of accommodating both virtual and physical methods of performing workouts. Combining online and in-person models allows hybrid gyms to respond to society's new demands for flexibility in how they access their workouts. Moreover, investigating the concepts of third place, female body image, and surveillance helps the hybrid gym to foster social support, reduce the harmful effects of body image, and thus promote a healthy and active lifestyle among women.

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hybrid gym, female body image, surveillance, gym design, third place gym, online workout, threshold
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