Studio C102’s fifth 1Rebel, at London Victoria, UK, is the most radical yet. The client’s brief for each has been to create unique and contextual spaces, while maintaining a consistent brand experience. At the heart of the design at Victoria was the client’s ambition to offer the UK’s first multi-tier cycling auditorium.
Inspired by visionary avant-garde architecture of the 1960s, the 670m2 boutique fitness studio makes maximum use of its ‘contextless’ environment within a new-build development.
A metal-clad spaceship appears to have crash-landed into the triple height space. The dramatic intervention contains the three-tier cycling auditorium, counterbalanced by a glowing vertical circulation shaft. The auditorium’s shimmering skin of aluminium mesh backlit by programmable circular light fittings forms the backdrop for a mirror-polished bar/reception, waiting area and retail space.
Inside the acoustically-isolated auditorium, the instructor performs on a scissor lift allowing them to be raised up as far as mezzanine level. The podium is illuminated by a bespoke laser semi-cyclone light fitting with a backdrop of a 9sq m LED video wall. The entire space is filled with music from a cutting-edge surround sound system.
