BIG BOX
next-generation fitness spaces that work hard for every member
Community & Inclusivity
By including teen-gym, family-friendly pools/spa times, ladies-only areas, social spaces (café), and accessible changing / wet-area design, the build supports a wide demographic range — from kids to seniors — enhancing long-term member retention and community integration.
Multi-Purpose
Beyond gym equipment: swimming pool, spa/sauna/steam/hydrotherapy, bouldering wall, studios for classes, café — a broad facilities mix adds value, raises appeal, and makes the club more than just a workout space.
Future-Ready
Designed with flexible spaces, adaptable M&E systems, and modular layouts that allow the facility to evolve with new training trends and member demands.
BigBox Huddersfield emerged from a major £4 million plus renovation of the former gym site (previously operated under total fitness), transforming what had been an older facility into a brand-new, modern leisure club aimed at families and serious fitness users alike. The ambition was clearly high: they envisioned a comprehensive, multi-use fitness and wellness club that would serve people from age 5 through to 80+, combining traditional gym, classes, pool, wellness and social/leisure amenities under one roof.
From a design-and-build perspective, the project provided a large canvas — the new club covers around 60,000 sq ft. This generous floor area enabled the creation of multiple dedicated zones that serve varied user groups: main gym with 150+ stations, ladies-only gym, teen-gym, functional training / strength / cardio zones, studios for classes (bootcamp, spin, Box12, etc.), plus leisure/wellness facilities like a 25 m pool, hydrotherapy/thermal spa, bouldering wall, and social spaces.
The gym-floor layout reflects a zoning-based strategy: strength equipment and free weights, cardio machines, functional rigs and prowler tracks, plus special-use areas for teen gym and ladies-only gym. Simultaneously, the site incorporates wellness and recovery spaces: a pool, sauna/steam/hydrotherapy spa, and relaxation zones. This broad spectrum—from hardcore strength training to wellness and family-friendly leisure—positions BigBox as more than a “gym”: it becomes a comprehensive health & lifestyle club.
Because of the mixed use (gym, wellness, leisure, family use), the design and build had to factor in safety, accessibility, flow, and durability. For example: separate gyms for ladies, teen-specific gym zones, supervised kids/teens spaces, plus accessible plumbing and wet-area design for the pool/spa, modern changing rooms, disabled-access lift/stairs for different levels or zones. Meanwhile, to support high user volume and a variety of activities (classes, swimming, training, recovery), the build included robust M&E, circulation space, and flexible studio spaces (spin, Box12, bootcamp, etc.).
A further important part of the design/build plan was social and community-focused: beyond workout spaces, BigBox includes a café/social area (named “Lunchbox”) to provide members with a post-workout or leisure hangout spot. This adds to the sense of “club” rather than “gym,” encouraging longer dwell-time, family use, and member retention — especially valuable for a facility targeting wide demographics (children, teens, adults, seniors).
Overall, BigBox Huddersfield shows how a large-scale design and build can deliver a complex, multi-purpose leisure club — combining high-spec gym zones, wellness/spa, pool, social/leisure spaces, and tailored user-group zones (ladies-only, teen gym, family offerings). For us as a fit-out contractor, it’s a strong example of managing a wide variety of spatial, mechanical, accessibility and user-flow demands in one project — and delivering a high-value, community-oriented facility that caters to many different needs.
