Lifestyle fitness center, Groningen
Krijn Christiaansen and Cathelijne Montens in collaboration
with Renger de Koning
Commissioned by Pavlov Medialab and City on a Roof Foundation
Building on a roof offers a lot of extra space in the city centre. This allows us to (re-)introduce activities that are usually placed in the city periphery. Besides the extra amount of space, a roof has many other qualities, such as a very wide view, a fresh wind, quietness but still with a comfortable attachment to the hectic life and noises below. When analyzing the map of Groningen, searching for activities on the outskirts of the city, we discovered a lot of sport accommodations and cemeteries, often next to each other. These two activities, one related to life, a good health and trying to stay fit as long as possible, the other incontestably related to death, appear very intriguing in their big contrast and yet interesting to combine. Ever since our cemeteries were banned out of the city again due to hygienic laws in the 1820s, the death disappeared from the lively and vibrant city, to find itself in quiet and calm gardens or parks, excluded from the everyday life. We propose to bring the death back into our daily routine, by combining an urn wall with an outdoor fitness center. The fitness center consists of an advertising panel, a roof, three treadmills and three dressing-rooms. The running machines are situated on the edge of the roof, which gives the sensation of running into the clouds.
