Poetry in Motion

Advocating mindful movement and holistic health, Maddox Fit — designed by Hecker Guthrie — is the antithesis of mainstream gym culture

With its garish fluorescent lighting, brash decals and vacuous electro pop, the conventional gym is customarily void of good design. Recently launched Maddox Fit, a wellness and health centre in Melbourne’s central business district, proposes a visionary alternative.

Maddox co-founders Annie Nguyen and Davey Ramburuth set out to reimagine the pursuit of health, in a space intimately attuned to human behaviour. Here, an animated dialogue of juxtapositions — between the contemporary and the familiar, man and technology — plays out through curated design. ‘What you experience is a series of selections that combine to impart a certain mood,’ says Hamish Guthrie of Melbourne-based interior design studio Hecker Guthrie. ‘Every detail is designed to encourage a very personal physical and mental journey.’

The heritage building’s discreet Flinders Lane entrance invites discovery, a theme that resonates throughout the Maddox experience. The space is open to the public and welcomes everyone, with faithful clients offered the option of membership. At the entrance, low-key lighting creates an atmospheric ambience that is enlivened by the dynamic digital installation behind the stainless-steel reception counter. Developed in collaboration with design studio The Company You Keep (who is also behind the branding), the ever-changing wayfinding device wraps around the corner and entices visitors further inside. In contrast to this slick visual display, the main corridor is coated in a rough, tactile rendered surface, and walls are punctuated with a sequence of recessed arches currently containing life-sized sculptures of feet by artist Pimpisa Tinpalit. Overall, the effect is contemplative and futuristic, the total separation from the outside world both somewhat surreal yet comfortingly insular.

‘We want people to be able to come in here and disconnect,’ Nguyen says. ‘Whether you have an hour or 30 minutes, when you’re at Maddox, you’ve made a commitment to focus on yourself — that’s a powerful thing.’

Spacious and open, the fitness area reveals the bones of the building, featuring original timber floors and full-height ceilings. Each station caters to a different type of movement, with a dedicated section for resistance and mobility training, and separate cardio and strength zones. In a simple affirmation of the importance of form over image, the full-length mirrored walls typical of standard gym environments are reduced to two mirrored corners.

‘For us, it’s about working with each individual to understand how they move, not just physically but through life,’ says Ramburuth. ‘Then we look at how we can use movement to support their personal goals outside of this space, in a really intentional way.’

Text / Sandra Tan
Images / Shannon McGrath