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January 3, 2023
Over the past year, we have had the opportunity to work closely together on an exciting project! We have had the chance to work on a project to develop and deliver a lighting design for the new Everlast gyms – all 69 of them across the UK!
As apprentices, this is one of the biggest projects we have had the opportunity to work on so found it extremely insightful experience to see through the development of multiple gyms from start to finish.
Signify was appointed by Frasers Group to design and supply the lighting. The lighting upgrade is part of the Fraser Group’s ‘elevation strategy’ to develop a unique model within the UK fitness industry and offer an unparalleled class and gym experience for Everlast members and visitors which is both inclusive and immersive.
Everlast set a clear but brief goal, they wanted flexible and dynamic lighting. This project was a first of its kind for us in many ways. We had a lot of responsibility and the opportunity for us to be extremely creative, in ways we hadn’t had the chance to be before. Exciting!
The first gym came with a lot of excitement. We found it beneficial to look at things from a consumer’s point of view and picture what we would want from a gym whether this be different lighting in different zones or, our personal favourite, the colour changing lighting in the spin studios. This gave us a whole new perspective of approaching the project. Now when we look back, we realise, this process made us learn the skill of approach a project from a client perspective, breaking down the brief and working towards what the end product/outcome should be.
As we had expected, we were constantly making edits and updating the design based on Everlast’s feedback. This was both insightful and inspiring as we got closer and closer to meeting their vision and creating the design that was perfect for them.
The following gyms became a much simpler process as we understood the vision and wanted to create gyms that all had a similar and consistent feel.
From the first gym to the second to the third, learnings and experiences were rolled over to make the next gym even more dynamic and even more exciting.
To begin the project, a site visit was conducted to understand the space as well as get a good understanding of Everlast’s requirements. Once we had a good understanding of the design brief, we were able to sit down as a team and discuss potential approaches and products that would be suitable. We worked closely with the Everlast team to understand their vision. From this, we were able to create a concept document which was presented to the Everlast team to get feedback.
Within our concept, we utilised a wide range of the Signify brand offering. From a luminaire’s perspective, we utilised various luminaire brands (Tailored Creations, Modular, Philips) which allowed us to be creative in various spaces whilst delivering on Everlast’s sustainability goals (Tailored Creations). Introducing controls into our concept allowed flexibility and dynamic lighting. The Colour Kinetics brand provided the game-changing side of our design.
From creating a concept design, we were able to move into the preliminary designs, creating and developing ideas to provide dynamic ideas for differing areas of the gym these included, weights, studios, cardio etc. Once the preliminary designs were finalised with the Everlast team we progressed to detailed designs and from this, the designs were brought to life.
A critical element of this project has been understanding the product offering and ensuring that our lighting design enhances these, our personal favourites include adding dynamic RGBW lighting in the spin studios and ‘Boxfit’ areas. Another area that we really think helps to capture the end user’s visions were the KeyLine squares located above the squat racks.
We gained a complete understanding of the process from start to finish which aided us in the following gyms.
The most rewarding part was watching the videos at the end. It displayed the gyms in their best, final form and made it feel like all the creative input we had put it, paid off. It displayed to us that we had delivered on Everlast’s vision and create a desirable space for consumers.
The most fun part of the project was the teamwork. It was extremely insightful to be working with so many stakeholders. It not only taught us how to communicate with different people, but it also gave us extremely valuable understanding of many other areas of business including sales, project marketing, supply chain and aftersales.
Throughout the project, we have had a lot of exposure and multiple opportunities to work closely with various stakeholders within the Everlast team ranging from designers, contractors, product managers, ops directors, and the managing director. This allowed us to gain awareness and skills within many areas of the Signify business that we wouldn’t usually have much exposure to.
Most importantly, we learnt how to manage time. There were often tight deadlines we had to work towards which encouraged us to work efficiently and effectively. We met every deadline, even those design edits that needed extremely quick turnarounds.
The Denton fitness club was the first site in the roll-out. It demonstrated the jointly developed lighting strategy wasn’t just about creating an exciting workout space, it is about representing the Everlast Fitness brand. Each club should feel distinctly like an Everlast Fitness Club, and the lighting is one of the best mediums to achieve this. We are extremely delighted and proud with how the project has gone so far and we are excited to bring more Signify innovations into this exciting opportunity.
Mark Gabbitas
Lighting Application Specialist (LiAS) Manager, Signify UK&I
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. In 2022, we had sales of EUR 7.5 billion, approximately 35,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for six consecutive years and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page.
