Emma Rose Gamble-Smyth

Fortress

Bachelor of Design Interior Design Moving Image Care Community Health and wellbeing Social Innovation Sustainability

The facade is fabricated using columns of ceramic beads positioned along a steel rod with a gold finish. These beads can shift from gusts of wind through Fort Lane and make clicking sounds that draw in people passing by. This bead screen represents a fortified layer of protection. Also, it provides a sense of privacy so that the public cannot view the visitors within.

Female Fitness Centre: Centre for Moving Image

Fortress aims to confront and contrast Fort Lane’s dangerous atmosphere created by the area’s lively nightlife and high instances of assault. Fortress is a women’s fitness centre within Imperial Lane in which a safe and supportive community is created where women can come together, build relationships, grow stronger, and feel safer. Facilities include a reception area, a lounge, fitness studios, cardio and weights gym areas, changing rooms and bathrooms. Studio classes such as spin, self-defence, and yoga will also be available. The lounge has a sense of privacy as it serves as a space where women can escape immediate threats while enjoying the region’s nightlife. Large digital screens line the walls of the cardio area and spin studio to give the participants a more immersive exercise experience and connect them to peaceful natural environments through moving image works. Strings of glazed ceramic beads emulating chainmail encase the design and represent a layer of protection and strength.

The lounge is hidden behind the ramp to provide privacy as this space can serve as an area for distressed women to escape the dangers of the Fort Lane area and receive support from the staff and community. The bathroom contains 3 showers and 3 toilets and flows openly into the locker room and touch-up area while still maintaining a degree of separation and privacy. The locker room is situated beneath one of the pre-existing light chimneys and channels natural light down into the space. The bathroom and locker room are transitional spaces between the entrance and exit.

The first space visitors see as they come up the ramp is the weights area that reveals the exterior facade detail of the columns of beads. Smooth concrete and grey marble is used throughout the design as it creates a strong and clean feel.

The first floor is obstructed by the three light chimneys that emit soft natural light across all floors through a layer of calming frosted glass. Connected to the weights area in an open-plan design, the cardio and rowing area provide treadmills, stationary bikes, ellipticals, and rowing machines. Each machine faces a digital screen that immerses the user into a more natural exercise environment. The top floor consists of offices and studios where classes including yoga, dance, martial arts/self-defense, and spin take place. The yoga/dance space features the facade detail, and gusts of wind can shift the beads and create a peaceful sound that echoes throughout the space to enhance the meditative experience. A curved, panoramic digital screen immerses spin-class participants into a realistic feeling ride.

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