7 minute read
Ignite Studios
The former Guernsey Bowl facility at Victoria Avenue was previously rejuvenated with the opening of Anytime Fitness. Now the latest addition to the Rock Health development has opened its doors. Ignite Studios aims to provide a suite of fully-equipped studios to meet the needs of a wide range of activities, and is already proving popular with islanders of all ages.
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Ignite Studios is the brainchild of Kirsty Chick and her partner, Chris Gnapp. Frustrated with the difficulties of finding appropriate space and facilities for Kirsty’s dance and exercise classes, they decided to pursue the idea of creating their own. But not content with providing suitable space for Kirsty’s endeavours, they aimed to provide a facility that would support an array of self-employed instructors to build their businesses. The result is Ignite Studios at the former Guernsey Bowl. Now converted into a suite of bespoke dance and fitness studios – the space is certainly unrecognisable from its previous incarnation. Purpose built for their needs and making the most of the high spaces and large floorplan, it seems an obvious location for the project. But finding that perfect space wasn’t easy, as Kirsty explained: “We came up with the idea for the purpose-built studio spaces in the summer of 2018, when I was getting really frustrated with constantly carrying equipment, sound systems and fans around with me in my car to different venues.
“The idea for the Ignite model seemed the perfect solution, but it was really difficult to find a suitable space in the island. We eventually found one we thought might work but the planning permission wasn’t adequate for our needs. A year on from our initial idea we came across this space, and by December 2019 we’d committed to the project.”
Having found the space, Kirsty needed to transform the former bowling alley into her dream set of studios. Architectural technologist Miles Pengelley of JGA had been exploring the options with Kirsty and Chris from the start and explained some of the difficulties: “Some of the premises we had looked at required a change of use, which was difficult to overcome from a planning policy point of view when many of the spaces were situated outside of the local centres.
“The Guernsey Bowl project, however, was fairly straightforward from that point of view. The change of use had already been applied for by the landlord, who was fitting out the space ready for that type of use by a tenant.”
With that in place, attention turned to how best to divide the space to meet the needs of its users in the most efficient way possible. While Miles put the plans together, he said he was guided from the start: “The brief was very much client led. They came to me and explained the overall size of the facility and how they wanted it split. It was just a large open plan space which needed to be subdivided into a number of units so they could use those smaller spaces efficiently.”
While the aim was originally to allow for flexible sub-dividing walls that would allow the space to be completely opened up for larger groups or activities, as the project progressed it became clear that wasn’t a viable option, as Miles explained: “The movable dividers needed to have a structure in place to allow the doors to be hung. The only way to hang that was by suspending it from the existing roof structure, but there were strict limitations on that as it was only designed for lightweight suspended ceilings and air conditioning ducting. We engaged with a structural engineer to ascertain the feasibility of that plan and were clearly told it wasn’t possible.”
Instead, the six completed studio spaces offer different options in size and layout to suit different purposes, and the lack of bifold dividing doors means that the sound proofing between the units is far greater.
Ken Menezes of Guernsey Electrical Solutions has been the foreman on site, with responsibility for ensuring the plans become reality. For him, the roof was also an issue, as he explained: “We couldn’t put any load on the roof as it was already at its maximum when we started on the project so the lighting layouts needed to be on the perimeter of the room rather than hung from the ceiling.”
While the large open roof space may have been somewhat enforced (a ceiling that would have helped control the thermal environment and reduced the air conditioning and heating requirements was also impossible to erect), it has ended up adding to the feel of the facility for Kirsty: “Having the large open roof space really lends itself to the industrial vibe that we were all aiming for. The aesthetic of seeing the lighting grids and ducts from all angles is perfect for the space and we’re delighted with it. “Additionally, we were very keen to find somewhere with high ceilings from the start. There are various aerial-focused activities and classes that we would like to offer, so having the height to do that was a necessity.”
Part of the project may have included looking up to the ceiling space, but what was going on underfoot was just as important. The studios have sprung floors to absorb shocks, which can both enhance performance and reduce injuries.
The special flooring has foam backing to ensure all those using it have a comfortable experience. It was a crucial part of the studio plans, so Ken knew he needed to get it right: “When we came in to do the floors, they weren’t very level and we knew that we had these sprung floors to install. We therefore self-levelled over the existing floors and then fitted the new ones on top.”
Despite the best efforts of the team, the project has been unavoidably set back by the pandemic. When Kirsty and Chris signed the lease at the end of 2019, they were planning to open the following September. With delays in materials and issues with finding labour, that opening was repeatedly pushed back. It’s understandably been frustrating, but Kirsty and Chris are delighted to finally be open – and they’re keen to show off what they’ve achieved.
The aesthetic of the new studios is clear from the moment you walk in – it’s light and bright with a modern industrial vibe adding to its attraction. As well as the studio space itself, the facility has stylish newly fitted changing, shower and toilet facilities, which were installed by Rock Health. Alongside those, a bright and welcoming reception space allows parents or siblings to wait in comfort during classes, although Kirsty is hoping the right timetable will encourage everyone to get involved with something while they are there.
WHO WILL BE USING THE SPACE?
Ignite Studios has been designed to be welcoming and suitable for a wide range of users, and also provides disabled access and facilities. There has already been plenty of interest from those looking to use the facility to hold classes ranging from pilates to karate. But while some may only use the new studios sporadically, there is already a core of regulars committed to the facility who will form the bedrock of its offering.
• Starlight Dance Academy • Rebellion Allstars • B Creative Dance & Fitness • The Cheshire Dramatic Arts Academy • Isle Health
For Kirsty, Ignite has a very clear ethos: “Our aim is to help self-employed instructors grow in purpose built facilities. Our model is based on having a rate card that is a sliding scale. That way we hope we can help everyone grow their business and create a community that is a hive of activity all under one roof.”
THE CONTRACTORS
JG Architecture Guernsey Electrical Services Refco Island Electrics Ravenscroft (changing and public areas)
