Every day, in gyms across America, people of all ages and shapes exercise on treadmills, bicycles, steppers, and elliptical machines that provide their users with digital readouts of how fast they are going and how many calories they are burning.
And now, a new 1,300-sf gym that’s part of The Market at I-Square, a mixed-use development in Rochester, N.Y., is using the energy generated by members on its 17 spin bikes, two recumbent bikes, and two ellipticals as one of the sources powering The Imaginarium, a two-story, 9,000-sf Net Zero Energy arts-and-sciences center within the development that showcases earth-friendly practices, and includes the ECO Gym on its second floor, a rooftop kitchen and bar, a vertical garden, and a virtual-reality lounge.
ECO gym, which opened a few weeks ago, is expected to generate 3,660 kWhs of electricity annually, or about 5% of the Imaginarium’s annual demand. The Imaginarium gets another 35% of its power from small wind turbines with a power rating of 8.9 kWs. Other renewable energy sources for this center include 92 solar panels, and a geothermal heating and cooling system.
The exercise machines were provided by SportsArt America, whose U.S. headquarters is in Mukilteo, Wash. SportsArt started producing fitness equipment in 1977 and launched its ECO line in 2014.
Each piece of equipment has an interface where users can track their “human watts” (the amount of electricity a user is generating by using the equipment) and compare these to the amount of electricity the equipment returns to the grid. The company estimates that about 74% of the energy generated during a workout on its equipment is captured for use to power the building.
The gym's equipment lets users track their “human watts” against the amount of eletricity returned to the grid. The equipment captures about 74% of what's generated for the building's energy consumption. Image: SportsArt
Until recently, SportsArt—which does business in over 70 countries and has offices in the U.K., Switzerland, Taiwan, and Beijing—has placed its equipment mostly in gyms and hotels in Europe and Asia. It is now eyeing North America for growth.
The first U.S. gym to take on the company’s ECO-POWR cardio line of spinning bikes was Sacramento (Calif.) Eco Fitness, which opened in December 2016. At the time of that opening, SportsArt America estimated that a single hour-long workout would produce more than 160 watts per hour per unit of electricity.
Ivo Grossi, its CEO, says SportsArt America’s main target markets for expansion in the U.S. are independent health clubs and studios; colleges and universities; hotels, and multi-housing and residential projects. (On its website, SportsArt America has a room-planning page that allows homeowners to digitally place its equipment in different residential room configurations.)
“We look forward to bringing sustainability to the forefront of the fitness industry. We aspire to be the Tesla of fitness, which is a vision in line with the wants of the largest demographic group flocking to the fitness industry: The Millennials,” says Grossi.
I-Square and SportsArt America were involved in the interior design of ECO Gym in Rochester, whose Building Team included Meehan Architecture (architect), LeFrois Builders & Developers (GC), CM Armitage Electrical Contracting (EE), Kenron Industrial Air Conditioning (HVAC), and Green Leaf Professional Services (IT).
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Bowdoin College has country's first newly constructed LEED-certified ice arena
Bowdoin College's new Sidney J. Watson Arena, dedicated January 18, 2009, has become the first newly constructed ice arena in the United States to earn coveted LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).
| Aug 11, 2010
Gilbane, Manhattan Construction top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 50 largest K-12 school contractors
A ranking of the Top 50 K-12 School Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Arup, SOM top BD+C's ranking of the country's largest mixed-use design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 Mixed-Use Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Structure Tone, Turner among the nation's busiest reconstruction contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 75 Reconstruction Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Populous selected to design 'crystalline skin' stadium for 2014 Winter Olympics
Russian officials have selected global architect Populous to design the main stadium for the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The 40,000-seat stadium will feature a crystalline skin that "engages with its surroundings by day and provides an iconic representation of the color and spectacle of the games when illuminated at night," said Populous senior principal John Barrow.
| Aug 11, 2010
Best AEC Firms of 2011/12
Later this year, we will launch Best AEC Firms 2012. We’re looking for firms that create truly positive workplaces for their AEC professionals and support staff. Keep an eye on this page for entry information. +
| Aug 11, 2010
Clark Group, Mortenson among nation's busiest state/local government contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 40 State/Local Government Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit /giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Portland Cement Association offers blast resistant design guide for reinforced concrete structures
Developed for designers and engineers, "Blast Resistant Design Guide for Reinforced Concrete Structures" provides a practical treatment of the design of cast-in-place reinforced concrete structures to resist the effects of blast loads. It explains the principles of blast-resistant design, and how to determine the kind and degree of resistance a structure needs as well as how to specify the required materials and details.