Miramont Lifestyle Fitness protects members in the water ...
... on the ground, and in mid-air
shut-off valve. Pool chemicals, which are caustic and can be unstable, are another serious issue. “Chlorine needs to be protected,” observes Cliff Buckholz, the owner of Miramont Lifestyle Fitness, which has four sites in Fort Collins, Colorado. “It can explode!” Miramont protects members by using a safer, sodium- based formula, and keeps all of its chemicals in special storage rooms at each of its clubs.
Humidity is a killer, and wet areas require proper ventilation to keep them dry and avoid overheating. “If you smell the pool, it’s an indication that there’s not enough air flow,” says Visani. “It means that the HVAC system hasn’t been adequately designed to handle the changing environment.”
In wet spaces, Tharrett explains, there needs to be a negative exhaust to withdraw stagnant air, while allowing a steady flow of fresh air to be drawn in. “The goal is to
zone specific areas so you can provide the proper temperature control for a given type of activity,” he says. That applies equally in the group exercise rooms, notes Conner. “Condensation can form, making hardwood floors slippery,” he says. “This is of particular concern in the cycling room, where members are walking around in clipless cycling shoes.” Excess humidity can also compromise guardrails: metal anchors can corrode, a bolt may loosen, and the railing no longer supports a user’s weight.
Exercise great caution Because group exercise rooms are primarily empty space, questions about their safety tend not to arise. That said, however, there are concerns that need to be considered. Dunkleberger suggests, for instance, that it’s best to allot a separate room for cycling. Asking members to move the bikes introduces a risk. “There have been lawsuits where people have pulled the bike to the side and broken an ankle,” he warns. Bikes also eat up space around the perimeter of the room, restricting the space between members. Similarly, props and equipment can accumulate, consuming precious square footage. Sufficient storage hides the exercise tools and prevents tripping. “We recommend a 10% addition for the storage of props,” says Dunkleberger.
Cardiovascular-training areas present two principal problems: insufficient space between equipment and exposed electrical wires. “You need to think about the space around the piece of equipment,” advises Kulp. “How are people going to walk by? Is there a dangerous corner sticking out, and, if so, do we need to put something yellow there to alert members?” The tendency at American clubs is to pack as many units as possible into a room. “In Europe, you don’t
see hordes of cardio equipment,” reports Tharrett. European clubs, he explains, tend to group their equip- ment into pods of 20–30 units. Tharrett recommends allocating 50–60 square feet per piece—that provides sufficient operating space and facilitates proper circulation.
Treadmills are, perhaps, the most demanding type of cardio gear. “Typically, manufacturers recom- mend a clearance of six feet behind a unit,” says Visani.
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ihrsa.org | NOVEMBER 2011 | Club Business Internat ional 51
“The most effective way to make sure safety issues are tackled appropriately is to hire a seasoned architect with substantial experi- ence in the health club arena.’
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