Active in the workplace: five healthy offices that encourage exercise

These fitness fanatical office spaces make it easy for employees to build more exercise into their schedules — without working too hard.

By SpaceInvader and James Wormald

July 12, 2022 | 10:00 pm CUT

Albert Angel’s meditative boutique Kwerk co-working office has a 24-hour onsite gym and a yoga studio, giving employees a private members' club feeling while they’re at work

The typically memetic phrase ‘We’re here for a good time, not a long time’ is often used when the speaker needs to justify that one extra glass of wine or slice of pizza. But is it really too much to ask for both?

A lack of exercise is damning for our health, with strong links to both physical and mental illness. But with hectic work and life schedules to squeeze it around, many feel they simply don’t have the time. By including areas for exercise, post-exercise recovery, relaxation, mindfulness and playfulness, these workplaces, combined with changing workplace culture, allow employees to get the most out of their work schedule. Improving health, happiness and productivity too.

SpaceInvader’s transformation of One Piccadilly Gardens includes a redesign of the building’s upper-basement level into cycle storage and shower, locker and laundry facilities. Photos: Jill Tate

Cycle to work

Cycling adds fantastic value to the daily commute. With the state of public transport in most overgrown cities, cycling can be a quicker option than car, train or even metro. With city mayors introducing more ‘green’ transport projects, and all copying each other’s homework to provide more and safer cycling traffic systems, routes and lanes, there’s never been a better time to start wearing lycra.

Employees can enjoy the speed, ease and fitness of cycling to work, without worrying about their bike, or those sitting nearby

At SpaceInvader’s One Piccadilly Gardens six-storey office space, the upper basement level has been transformed into a storage and sanitary facility with the feel of a high-end spa. A bike store with servicing equipment is complemented by showers and changing rooms, along with laundry and drying facilities and locker storage. All meaning employees can enjoy the speed, ease and fitness of cycling to work, without worrying about their bike, or those sitting nearby, when they get there.

The kitchen area with exercise bike stools at TBWA/HOKUHODO (top) and Thomas House’s in-house boxing gym and showers (middle, bottom). Photos: Hakuhodo Product’s (top), Gareth Gardner (middle, bottom)

Work exercise

Most office workers understand the importance of regular movement, with hourglass sand timers cluttering desks and huge rubber balls often seen rolling around mischievously. At TBWA/HOKUHODO’s office space, for example, advertising execs can get their creative minds spinning, and get in a couple of km on the velo track, while waiting for their Pop-Tarts.

Advertising execs can get their creative minds spinning while waiting for their Pop Tarts

Permanent office spaces like this often encourage a healthy lifestyle as a way to improve their employees’ job satisfaction, productivity and long-term staff turnover, but co-working spaces need to work even harder to attract users in the short term, too. SODA Studio’s co-working Thomas House office for The Office Group not only features a basement-level gym complete with lockers, showers, punch bags and even its own small boxing ring, but the interior also incorporates various wellness features such as a library and music, gaming and meditation areas.

Kwerk’s co-working office combines the feel of a boutique hotel with the facilities of a private members' health club, with 24-hour access, individual interiors and a gym. Photo: Benoit Florençon (top)

Exercise the body and mind

Rethinking the office space as a creative playground, Albert Angel has created an exceptionally unique Parisian co-working space for Kwerk. Rather than keeping office workers chained to one spot for eight hours, Kwerk’s individually elegant environments treat its members like they’re in a boutique hotel, adding modern sculptural artworks and interior decoration akin to a grand theatre or an exclusive lounge bar. With 24-hour access, the spaces can be treated like those of a private members club, too, with onsite facilities for letting off steam before, after or during work hours including a gym and yoga studio, along with changing rooms and showers.

LEGO’s development office in Copenhagen brings childlike playfulness and fun to its interiors and workflows, feeding employees’ creativity. Photos: Anders Sune Berg

Have fun with it

Whoever said ‘work isn’t meant to be fun’ (including parents, teachers and managers), got it terribly, terribly wrong. LEGO is a brand and a product that knows life is better when it’s fun. Rather than just a children’s toy, the Danish phenomenon has broken through into the adult market, over the past few decades especially, designing whole lines of trickier models just for the nimble-fingered, nostalgia-filled minds of fully-fledged grown-ups refusing to ‘act their age’.

Whoever said ‘work isn’t meant to be fun’ (including parents, teachers and managers), got it terribly, terribly wrong

At LEGO’s development funffice (fun office) in Copenhagen, architects Rosan Bosch Studio have created a serious work environment focussed on fun, playfulness and creativity, where development designers can share ongoing ideas and inspirations, serviced in creative release by unique office elements such as bonsai tree meeting tables.

And if any master builder should be hit by a sudden attack of creative inspiration while strolling past ongoing builds set on podiums in the playful, colourful interior, and needs to get back to the work floor straight away, there’s an easy access slide to get there as quickly as possible. How sensible.

Active in the workplace: five healthy offices that encourage exercise

Cycle to work

Work exercise

Exercise the body and mind

Have fun with it

Project Gallery