What the space decides · Mechanical Capacity
A Gym Is Not an Office
The base building mechanical was almost certainly sized for a different use, and a gym imposes far more load.
Before you sign. Tell us the programming and we will tell you whether the space can carry it.
Impact
A dropped weight is a load event, not a static one
Structure
Noise travels through the slab, not around it
Pre-lease
We will look at a space before you sign it
Licensed
General contractor, licensed in the state of Florida
Base building capacity is assumed
A space previously used as retail or office has mechanical capacity sized for that use. A gym generates several times the heat and moisture per square foot, and in Florida that gap is substantial. Discovering it after fit-out means adding capacity in a trading facility at the tenant's cost.
What to confirm
- Existing capacity, in actual figures.
- Whether it can be increased, and who pays.
- Ventilation rates for the intended occupancy.
- Where additional units could physically go.
- Electrical capacity for both equipment and mechanical.
How we handle it
- 01Calculate the gym's actual load before assessing the space.
- 02Confirm existing capacity in writing from the landlord.
- 03Identify where additional capacity can physically be added.
- 04Price the gap while it is still a negotiating point.
Get the existing mechanical capacity in writing before signing. Every landlord will say the system is adequate; the figures are what tell you whether it is adequate for a gym rather than for what was there before.
Said plainly
Where we stop
If the base building cannot support gym loads and there is nowhere to add capacity, the space will be uncomfortable at peak whatever is spent inside it. We will say so before the lease.
FAQ
Common questions
- Is base building capacity usually enough?
- Rarely. It was sized for retail or office, and a gym imposes several times the load.
- Who pays to increase it?
- Usually the tenant, after signing. Negotiate it before.
- Where does additional capacity go?
- It has to physically fit somewhere. Check before signing.
- What if it cannot be increased?
- The space will be uncomfortable at peak whatever is spent inside.
What we build
Free Weights & Platforms
Platforms, racks and heavy free weights. The zone that determines whether a space can be a gym at all.
Read more →
Cardio & Machines
The largest floor area and the least structurally demanding, with its own power and cooling requirements.
Read more →
Studios
Group fitness, cycling and yoga studios. Each has a different sound problem and a different floor requirement.
Read more →
Functional & Turf
Turf lanes, rigs, sleds and open training space. The zone most constrained by ceiling height.
Read more →
Locker Rooms & Recovery
Showers, lockers, saunas and recovery. A small share of the area and a large share of whether members stay.
Read more →
Reception & Retail
Entry, front desk, retail and the transition into the floor. Where prospects decide and members arrive.
Read more →
More what the space decides
The Structure
Whether the floor is a slab on grade or a suspended structure is the single most important fact about a gym space.
Read more →
The Neighbors
Gyms are asked to leave buildings over noise. Who occupies the surrounding space is a pre-lease question, not an operational one.
Read more →
The Lease
The work letter describes what the landlord provides, and that description is where most gym budget surprises originate.
Read more →
Next step
Find out what is actually wrong with it.
An inspection, photographs of what we found, and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, that is the answer you will get.