Ally Singapore is a 6500 square feet (558 square metres) luxury indoor cycling gym and coffee bar, with in-house shower and locker facilities and 02 spin studio that houses a total of 70 spin bikes. It is located at the heart of the Singapore Business District, Shenton Way, within the second floor of an office tower.

Access into the gym premises is via a pair of escalators from the office tower’s main lobby. At the entrance, there is an art wall comprising large radial wall sculptures as a backdrop to a floating digital wall and abstract landscaping. A floating sculptural reception counter on a spherical base takes centre stage to a waiting lounge that connects to the landscape through glimpses of the landscape outside that is mirrored indoors through the insertion of a lone tree and its planter.

The waiting lounge is one of the three community spaces within the project that also includes a coffee and juice bar for members and non-members of the gym. The main spin studio is a semi-circular form that is also the largest area within the floorplate. Vertical recessed light strip detail, mimics the abstract movement of wheels and also lines the perimeter of the external façade. Inside, the spin bikes are arranged in auditorium-style rows that follow the semi-circular form of the room. The interiors are finished in black with acoustic panelling and programmable light features in axial layout have been included on the ceiling.

On the other end of the gym, just before the washrooms, is a round transition space or rotunda. This is the third community area and is lined with shared lockers. Terracotta coloured terrazzo flooring and walls define this space and copper coloured mirror applied as a ceiling feature provides an illusion of height.

Designed with a “Yin and Yang” approach, the washrooms are divided into two zones through material and colour application. The lockers, toilet facilities and vanity counters employ a palette of beige stone, light timber laminates and sand-colored walls, while the darker stone tiles and dark grey-colored walls demark the shower areas. Indirect, recessed cove lighting and feature wall lights are used as the primary lighting source within the washroom areas and supply soft illumination.

Ally Singapore is a prototype model to the new gym space – one that functions beyond its expected program and function to encourage connection and community.

Furniture: Custom Made, Comfort Furniture. Lighting: Ganen SG Pte Ltd. Finishes: Hafary Pte Ltd, K Stone Pte Ltd, EDL Laminates, SKK S Pte Ltd, Nippon Paint & AkzoNobel Paint. Fittings & Fixtures: TOTO, Hansgrohe.

Photography: Khoo Guo Jie.