Daylighting Champions Wellness at Champion Health & Fitness
After practicing neurosurgery for 25 years, Oliver Grin was excited but a bit nervous about his brand new operating room. He even invited the public to take a look. But jitters melted into a grin as he entered. Gleaming before him, awash in natural daylight, were all the latest tools of his trade: treadmills, free weights, computerized fitness systems, a swimming pool, tennis and racquetball courts, and even a sunken basketball court. "Here I can really be a physician!", he declared.
What Dr. Grin calls an operating room is actually Champion Health and Fitness in Rockford, Michigan. Grin's philosophy -- dodge disease and work on wellness by combining fitness and medicine -- informs the very design of his facility. An elevated, daylit running track, aerobics rooms and cardiovascular machines seem to flow across the open floor plan to merge with doctors' offices and sports medicine services. Traditional health club amenities meld with rehabilitation, fitness, and information on healthier living. Of course, Grin had one additional requirement: make it fun.
However, as much as the Rockford area needed a facility such as Champion, it wasn't easy. To begin with, there was a desire to use existing, vacant property rather than build from scratch. General contractor D & D Building and architect Integrated Architecture teamed up to convert and combine two adjacent but very different retail spaces. For example, the former supermarket's floor was a foot higher than that of the one-time discount department store. Entire columns had to disappear and one area needed to sink seven feet to accommodate the basketball court. Moreover, calling the construction schedule tight would be an understatement. "If not for the commitment of everyone involved," says Norm Noordeloos of D & D, "there's no way this project would have been completed on schedule."
Indoor Tennis: Kalwall Serves Well
Incorporating a Kalwall translucent system into the indoor tennis courts helped speed the process. "Construction took less time than with other products," adds Noordeloos. "Kalwall cut the cost of installation, too. The lightweight panels went up a lot faster because they built them at their New Hampshire plant first, then brought them directly to the job site by truck." In short order, 4,488 square feet of translucent Kalwall panels created one entire wall and part of another, covering the courts with balanced, even, glare-free, usable daylight. As with many sports, this museum-quality light makes it much easier for tennis players to see the ball.
Moreover, using Kalwall at Champion fulfilled Dr. Grin's philosophy of total wellness: healthier, happier, and more productive living by, in this case, creating a fitness environment of natural daylight. Just as physicians use light therapy to treat depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder, medical science recognizes the importance of daylight in maintaining a balanced sense of well-being. Of course, too much daylight shining through a traditional glass window or skylight causes blinding glare and annoying reflections and shadows. Solar heat gain from glass taxes a building's HVAC system. Conversely, Kalwall translucent panels eliminate the eye-straining trouble spots, filter out harmful light, and provide balanced lighting and controlled heat gain.
Of course, Kalwall goes beyond terrific daylighting and energy savings. "It also looks great," says Noordeloos, "especially when you see it from the outside after dark. The indoor lighting gives it a very warm, inviting glow." The effect ties in nicely with the three columns at Champion's main entrance -- symbols of mind, body and spirit -- bathed in colored light at night. "And don't miss the spot where a waterfall gushes over a motivational message," adds Noordeloos. "Clearly, aesthetics are important at Champion; inside and out, Kalwall plays a major role."
Architect: Integrated Architecture, Grand Rapids, MI
Kalwall Specifications:
Wall Panel: 4,488 square feet, 2-3/4 inches thick
Light Transmission: 15%
U-Factor: .29 by NFRC-100
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient: 0.15
Color: exterior White, interior White
For more information, contact:
Bruce Keller
Kalwall Corporation
1-800-258-9777
