Completion Date:     8/3/2013

Square Footage:      2060

Building Use:           Indoor cycling studio, with retail and locker facilities

Location:                 Costa Mesa

Project Description:

This project began as an existing 2,060 sf medical office building in Costa Mesa with very limited documentation on the as-was condition. Located on a raised foundation and while originally designed in a somewhat midcentury modern motif, it lacked many of the standards now considered to be vital on a commercial building (for instance, all rooftop equipment was completely exposed to sightlines). Combined with a floor to ceiling clear height of only 8’ high but a program requirement for a minimum of 12’ high in some areas – there were ample challenges to make this building current and functional for its new use as a high energy spin studio. Other programmatic concerns included soundproofing as the new use of the building requires high volume music blasted regularly through spin class hours yet the building was surrounded on three sides by residential uses. Limited square footage also made providing the required locker and shower facilities for both male and female athletes a challenge. Lastly, a retail component was also needed for apparel and accessories. Our solutions included a recessed floor area down into the crawl space to allow for the required head height in the spin studio, all exterior walls were built with a dual wall acoustic system, ceilings were outfitted with Tectum acoustic absorbing material and door and window jams, sills, and heads were gasketed to prevent sound transmission. The locker/restroom was designed to provide separate toilet facilities for male and female, but implemented a unisex lavatory and locker area to maximize efficiency of space. Other design elements included a new natural wood cladding on the exterior along with a wood roof screen to hide HVAC equipment, a new wood deck with a cable guardrail system was added to allow an exterior ‘cool down’ environment for the spin clients after their workout, and the entire landscape was redesigned with California native, drought tolerant plants and grasses. Wood wheel stops were also used throughout the parking field to continue the design theme while thematic bike racks provide a whimsical storage location for those choosing to ride their more traditional bikes to a workout. This adaptive reuse project presented numerous challenges to meet the new program and in an effort to avoid substantial demolition, care was taken to integrate the new design into as many of the existing structural and finish materials as possible. All exterior walls and the entire roof structure remained existing. The ultimate success of the project has been measured not only by the architectural improvements but by the success of the business which is now on its way to opening several other locations.

C.O.T.E. | Committee on the Environment

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