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site plan 1 Parking GArage Ramp 2 Lobby 3 Lounge 4 Shop 5 Yoga 6 Spa 7 Cardio 8 Stretch 9 Weights 10 POOL 11 RETAIL
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core. In developing the design, the project team produced a series of images representing lifestyle, textures, and products to inspire thoughts on materials and finishes. Through this exercise, an idea evolved that juxtaposed natural and manmade materials. In the next step, GFF and the Equinox design team merged the imagery with Casas’ illuminated box to arrive at a final design for the renovated building. With all traces of the former auto dealership erased, the 45,000-sf Equinox is a glowing box of white polycarbonate that appears to float over alternating sections of glass and cedar. Butt-jointed glass at the ground level provides a strong visual connection between the streetscape and the main workout space. Above, the white acrylic panels that conceal the two levels of parking shine during the day and glow at night with fluorescent backlighting. Clients enter through an atrium lobby, the place where the combination of natural and manmade materials begins. Slate and wood mix comfortably with the reception desk’s glowing polycarbonate panels. Within this vaulted space are a juice bar and an apparel shop. Sunlight bathes the entire lobby spine through third-story clerestory windows to create a light-filled space complemented by largeformat art pieces and contemporary seating. At the far end, a stretching area that features a water wall creates a relaxing ambient environment for before and after workouts. To the right of the stretching area, one passes under the ramp leading to the parking decks above. The compressed space acts as a nice transition between the vaulted sunlit spine and the expansive area dedicated to weights and cardio exercise. In the main workout area, the design team continued the combination of natural and synthetic materials by insetting wooden paneling into the concrete pans of the cast-in-place garage above. Also in this area, large bench planters seem to be randomly placed in the oversized room. The planters, their curvilinear forms elegantly detailed, bring nature into the workout area in a very literal way, although their presence creates a tension between the equipment and the structural columns. To the right of the stretching area is the spa, situated on the other half of the former dealership, taking over the remainder of the old showrooms when combined with a retail sub-lease. Here is the crux of the project, devoted to hospitality and pampering. No longer are manmade and natural materials juxtaposed; instead, warm woods and dark stones intermingle with subtle water features to create a soothing environment. Brian McLaren, AIA, practices with ware architecture and is the editor of AIA Dallas’ Columns magazine.
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