As millennials and Gen Z-ers look for socialization and connection opportunities, wellness amenities in new condo developments are providing spaces where residents can find value and build communities. It is, says one developer, the new generations’ version of the country club. Read More
It’s more than just providing individual fitness facilities
Advertisement 1
It’s more than just providing individual fitness facilities
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Article content
As millennials and Gen Z-ers look for socialization and connection opportunities, wellness amenities in new condo developments are providing spaces where residents can find value and build communities. It is, says one developer, the new generations’ version of the country club.
Article content
Developing a wellness experience in a multi-unit residential building focuses on creating a “fourth” space, says Maxime Zentner, vice-president, product development and interior design at Marcon, explaining, “it’s not your home, office or gym — it’s somewhere between all those spaces, a middle ground where people can create their sense of community.”
Article content
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
“Statistics show that millennial and Gen Z demographics are investing a lot of their disposable incomes into wellness experience areas,” says Zentner.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Westcoast Homes
Article content
In multi-unit developments the goal is to create a wellness experience that fosters a sense of community, rather than just providing individual fitness facilities, she says. However, the success of these spaces hinges on the execution.
Article content
“People are looking at these spaces and wanting them to have a connection and a flow between them so that, again, it’s almost like you’re entering a club where you go in and you’ll get to know all the same people (in the resident group) who are using all these different facilities and you’ll create a sense of community,” she says.
Article content
“We’re seeing the most success of this type of execution when these spaces have visual adjacencies, whether it’s actual glass, where you can see the people between all the spaces or you have a (glass panel) door that then enters you into this entire wellness, gym, fitness area. So again, it feels like a club, and not just separate little rooms spaced out around a building. People really want this sense of community and a culture that is created around this entire experience,” adds Zentner.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
Söenhaus, Marcon’s new seven-storey building in Coquitlam, includes many of these principles with more than 9,600 square feet of amenities designed to exude tranquillity. These include the sauna at the heart of the thermotherapy area where people move through cycles of hot, cold and rest; a fitness centre that connects to the outdoors, and the relaxing al fresco dining area on the rooftop terrace.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Read More
-
Fall maintenance checklist for your home and garden
-
Landscape architects ‘blend artfulness and science’ to create beautiful, usable spaces
-
Advertisement 1
Story continues below
Article content
Cheryl Broadhead, principal at BYU Design says several influences are impacting the popularity and design of wellness amenities.
Article content
“It didn’t start with the pandemic but the pandemic reshaped people’s expectations and what they need from their homes,” she says. “It forced our society to focus on mental and physical health more because of the constraints of the current designs and spaces.”
Article content
Broadhead notes that focus was lacking in many residential buildings.
Advertisement 1
Advertisement 2
Advertisement
Article content
“Access to outdoor spaces, quiet zones, reflective/meditative areas, gathering and group spaces that help build connections and community (was lacking),” she adds.
Article content
Broadhead says social media and influencers also brought wellness to the forefront.
Article content
“They have created complete brands and have really amplified personal well-being and self-care, from fitness routines and immersive experiences to mindfulness practices. You can see it in the push of the ‘clean living’ esthetic that has been the go-to for a couple of years,” she says.
Article content
In multi-unit buildings addressing wellness is also tied to practicality: living spaces are smaller so the amenities are an extension of residents’ living space and have become increasingly important, says Broadhead.
Article content
“Some of the buildings we have been working on have amenities that include spaces like thermal experiences with saunas, steam rooms, and hot-cold plunge circuits and private or semi-private fitness areas that offer flexibility for personal training or quieter workouts so you can be more comfortable with your level of fitness,” says Broadhead.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
She says some projects include specialty therapy areas like salt rooms, chromotherapy (light therapy), and infrared/red-light integration and nutrition focused amenities like juice bars and purified water stations throughout common areas.
Article content
“We try to design spaces that offer a layered approach to wellness, that address physical fitness, mindful reflection, and also help build community connection,” she says.
Article content
Many subtle design decisions can directly impact well-being, says Broadhead. Adding tunable lights that work with people’s circadian rhythms, biophilic design elements that reduce stress and promote calm, and sound scaping or scent diffusion to address other senses help to create immediate comfort and belonging and trigger reflection and memories.
Article content
One of Broadhead’s favourite projects is Cedar House, the amenity designed for tower 2 in the Kwasen Village development in Burnaby where she worked with the Aquilini Group and project partners the Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh people.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
The Cedar House design is centred around three pillars: physical activation and fitness; restorative and spa-inspired experiences; and outdoor connection and social engagement.
Article content
“It includes everything from an active gym fitness space with private workout areas, to a salt room with chromotherapy and a large outdoor deck with fresh air and views. It’s comprehensive, immersive, and includes flexibility for the residents and allows them to tailor their experience. We designed it to address wellness requirement that are holistic and adaptable to individual needs,” she says.
Article content
Article content
Diana Ellis, CHIL senior interior designer, associate, also points to the pandemic and the need for people to find ways to relax and mentally support themselves as an impetus for change.
Article content
“Health is the new luxury and you’re seeing it from the condo level all the way up to celebrity level. People are treating themselves and spend that personal time to unplug from the day-to-day stresses,” says Ellis.
Story continues below
Article content
By integrating health and wellness orientated designs like infrared saunas, hydrotherapy and space for yoga, barre or Pilates, developers are differentiating themselves in a competitive marketplace, she adds.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Developers who recognized the shift early on and incorporated wellness amenities in their projects are in construction now, says Ellis referencing Solhouse, a Bosa Properties’ development in Burnaby.
Article content
Wellness facilities take priority on the sixth floor of the building, and the self-guided circuit includes features such as the infrared sauna, steam room, hot and cold plunges and a rest area with heated hammocks and daybeds overlooking a garden.
Article content
The circuit is a mind and body experience, says Ellis, noting that while there are guidelines for each stage, people can move through at their own pace.
Article content
“I think it makes people more mindful when they’re being thoughtful about what their next practice will be. Will I go to the yoga room after this, or will I read a book on the hammocks or the daybeds?”
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
Ellis notes that equipment and facilities aside there are other considerations for designers. “From the moment you walk through the doors and are seemingly guided through the spaces, the use of natural materials and lighting is so important. And obviously the ability to select from a number of multi-sensory spaces,” she says.
Article content
Space once specified for yoga room might now become a multi-purpose area and referred to as a meditation-breathworks room which can be self-guided or used by groups, says Ellis. Designs for these spaces now incorporate wood features and often include larger floor to ceiling windows and a natural outlook while lighting options also elevate the experience.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Ellis also worked on the Signature and Hollybridge buildings in Aspac Developments’ River Green community in Richmond where resort-style amenities include health and wellness centres, social spaces like lounges and mah-jong rooms, and entertainment features like lounges and media rooms.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
These spaces complement outdoor facilities such as pools and gardens.
Article content
“I believe our job as designers is to be mindful of the space planning, the movement, the selection of materials, ceiling heights and how we light the space,” she says.
Article content
As Marcon’s Zentner points out, ultimately amenity spaces become part of a company’s strategy.
Article content
“There’s a large shift right now within the rental market as well that (wellness amenities) become a competitive asset within the building. And if it is something that truly brings you value, that you would otherwise be spending your dollars on somewhere out of the building, then there is a return there that actually feels like it has value to you versus an amenity space that just ticks a box and is not used. We’re really trying to shift that narrative to make this space truly have value to people,” she says.
Article content
Discover more from World Byte News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
