Inflexion Builds’ Wellington Gym

More than a year has gone by since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and we have seen a lot of changes in the world of architecture. The fact that we have had to limit the radius of our actions to a small area around our homes for several months has revealed how inappropriate our homes can be for responding to these new requirements, particularly when we do everything at home, from schooling our children to working in a home office. 
Hence the mission of Inflexion Builds, a new design and build team in Los Angeles specialising in affordable design for this new "at home lifestyle". Led by a team of experienced architects, Amanda Gunawan and Joel Wong, with contractor Ernesto Garcia, Inflexion Builds specialises in the creation, construction and renovation of small-scale lifestyle spaces. As Ernesto Garcia explains, "2020 has changed the way people think about their homes, with functionality and design at the forefront. Many homeowners are trying to improve their existing space”.
All this applied to Remi and Nate, the duo of influencers behind HōmeBodies, a home fitness programme launched at the beginning of the pandemic which has become very popular as gyms have remained closed and more and more consumers have been seeking to improve their fitness experience at home. 
Remi and Nate decided to convert their old garage into a gym which they could use as a recording studio for their Instagram live videos and an inspiring space in which to relax. Inflexion Builds’ design solution is based on the opportunities offered by the ADU or accessory dwelling unit, which may be separate from or attached to the main home or one of its appurtenances. It may be a new construction or a conversion of an existing structure, such as a garage, as in Remi and Nate’s case, permitted in the Los Angeles Mid-City district where they live.
As the clients would be spending all their mornings in the new gym, Inflexion Build designed and built a space that is minimal but refined, equipped with the latest new gym equipment and wall storage units. As the couple planned to film their workouts, the designers had to optimise the lighting in the gym; folding doors were fitted to connect it with the adjacent outdoor area to ensure functional design of both indoor and outdoor spaces while ensuring proper ventilation and natural lighting for an optimal workout.
The conversion of the garage into a gym allows Inflexion Builds to adapt the clients’ home in response to their new requirements without having to build an extension: a practical, sustainable solution efficiently responding to a changing world in which the pandemic has brought live fitness sessions to Instagram.

Christiane Bürklein

Project: Inflexion Builds - https://inflexion-builds.com/

Location: Los Angeles, USA

Year: 2020

Images: courtesy of OWIU