SFIDI

Technē designs revolutionary new workplace fitness & wellness centre
 
Leading Victorian architecture and interior design practice Technē has been entrusted with designing the inaugural SFIDI fitness and wellness centre in Melbourne’s Rialto Towers precinct. It’s a location locals know well but, for others, it’s best described as commercial towers that accommodate some of the city’s largest workplaces.
 
The brainchild of Virgin Active Australia Co-Founder Ian Tuckey, and property developers Lorenz and Manola Grollo (whose family developed the Rialto Towers back in the eighties) SFIDI provides professionals with high-performance gym and wellness facilities right where they work. The goal? Supporting professionals to achieve their best, professionally and personally.  
 
Lorenz Grollo describes his engagement with Technē as an ideal partnership between developer and designer: “The creation of SFIDI has been in our hearts and minds for many years and we are extremely grateful to Technē for surpassing our highest hopes for its design.”
 
Specifically, Technē designed the base build’s fit-out architecture for SFIDI as well as the project’s interiors. Located within Rialto’s lobby, on the ground floor are SFIDI’s strength and fitness zones (including state-of-the-art cardio and lifting equipment). Meanwhile, the mezzanine accommodates SFIDI’s recovery zones (offering Pilates, yoga, saunas and recovery spaces).
 
Techne Director, Nick Travers, says he’s delighted his studio was appointed to design SFIDI’s flagship precinct at Rialto. He describes SFIDI as an “innovative business model” and he’s right. The centre offers a range services, from full-body scans through to cryotherapy (via float beds containing hundreds of litres of water) and hot-mat Pilates where room temperatures can reach up to 40degrees. Technē Associate and Interior Designer Tess Carpenter says: “Our interior design supports and facilitates all of these wellness services, rather than overpowering them.”
 
Assisted by a team of engineers, project managers, building surveyors and wellness consultants, Technē’s design integrates data collection points to track individuals’ fitness goals, as well as spaces to experience hot and cold recovery before returning to the workplace.
 
Enticing professionals into SFIDI
 
Located at the back of Rialto’s lobby area, a formerly under-utilised space, the challenge for Technē was to find new ways to make people gravitate towards the space. “Bold colour, dynamic lighting and reflective metals were incorporated to catch your eye and draw people in from the lobby,” Tess explains. “These design elements successfully activate the Rialto lobby, creating a buzz that people want to be a part of.”
 
“Bold colour choices, a large grid of overhead lighting and reflective, perforated metals were all used to draw attention to SFIDI,” Tess explains. “These design devices successfully entice people into SFIDI and create a real buzz in the area.”
 
Designing a fitness journey — from the ground up
 
Technē’s interior design for the ground floor (where the gym, strength and lifting equipment are all housed) is deliberately high-impact to match the intensity of the workouts that take place here. “We’ve prioritised a dark colour palette and high-contrast materials like exposed concrete with blackened steel to signify strength and durability,” Tess says.
 
Some of the ‘exposed concrete’ to which Tess refers is from Rialto’s original concrete columns. This respectful nod to the building’s heritage also extends to the integration of blue throughout the design — in line with both Rialto and SFIDI’s blue branding.
 
Upstairs in the mezzanine, the interior design takes on a lighter, warmer palette to reflect the recovery zone located up there. Here, users can access Pilates studios, saunas and cryotherapy float beds. “A warmer colour palette, and the use of timber joinery in place of steel, signifies a shift in atmosphere and a chance for restoration ahead of returning to the office,” Tess says.
 
Prioritising inclusivity — for CEOs and interns  
 
Technē’s design supports SFIDI’s ethos that workplace wellness and fitness should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their position on the corporate ladder! To echo this sentiment, wherever possible Technē avoided the use of structural barriers in its interior design. A good example is opting for communal reception tables rather than traditional reception desks constrained by dividing walls.
 
“The spatial planning is really intuitive; there are no barriers to entry. The entrance is very welcoming because you don’t have to go through thresholds that feel exclusionary.” The simplicity of Tess’ material selection — favouring raw and robust materials instead of luxe finishes (like stone or marble) also help to facilitate a feeling of inclusion.
 
Less obvious are the subtle design strategies deployed by Technē to ensure seamless day-to-day operation for the SFIDI staff. The Technē team coordinated a raised floor system that provided acoustic benefits, as well as being able to neatly conceal all the electrical cabling to the gym equipment below to avoid trip hazards. We also worked closely with audio and lighting consultants to ensure these elements were seamlessly integrated into the design — allowing SFIDI’s instructors to adjust music, microphones and lighting at the touch of a button.  “App-based lighting control is an excellent device to alter illumination depending on the task at hand — from bright light for cleaning through to dim light for relaxation sessions,” Tess says.
 
A remarkable achievement
 
Lorenz Grollo describes SFIDI’s Rialto design as setting a new benchmark for fitness and wellness centres. “Technē listened intently to all of our aspirations and managed to deliver a design that feels empowering, contemporary and exciting,” Grollo says. “It’s a remarkable achievement and we look forward to continuing to work with Technē on future endeavours.”
 

Photography: Tom Blachford