State of the art gym for Woodward
Kunal Wagle looks at the fitness centre planned for North Acton
A leading fitness equipment company has agreed a deal with Imperial College London to design and kit-out a new state of the art gym in the new Woodward halls in Acton. Pulse Fitness, who have also created gyms at 500 further and higher education institutions in the country, including King’s College London, London South Bank University, and Goldsmiths, aim to start the project in June 2015. The gym is estimated to take ten weeks to complete and is timed to open before the first year of students take up residence in the first week of October.
The gym will be run by Pulse themselves for the next ten years as a branch of its Club Pulse division, with continued support from stakeholders at Imperial. The gym will be a two-storey state of the art fitness facility with as many as 85 machines. It will also include a multifunctional studio space. Each piece of cardio equipment at the gym will be equipped with a Cirrus Console, an 18.5 inch android tablet with touch screen that will allow users to personalise their workouts, while watching digital television or browsing the internet.
In addition to the Cirrus Console, Pulse will also be including SmartCentre, an interactive technology that provides motivation and stores personalised gym workouts. It also gives user feedback and aids retention by connecting members with equipment, staff, and management.
Warren Ormerod, who is Director of Club Operations at Pulse, said of the deal “This is a landmark contract for Pulse and a testament to our first rate services, equipment and previous operational work within the education sector. As a UK company we’re excited to be working with one of the top ranked universities in the UK and indeed the world, and will strive to create a facility which reflects these high wstandards. With extensive experience operating dual use facilities in higher education institutions, as well as providing equipment and delivering design and build services, we really understand what works for private members and students alike. We are confident we’ll not only meet but exceed the objectives and targets set in terms of usage, retention and revenue.”
The gym will be open to private members and staff, and will be available for students to use free of charge.