Gym and fitness studio fit-out in Dubai
We fit out commercial gyms, boutique fitness studios and boxing and yoga studios in Dubai, from zoning and floor build-ups to changing rooms and joinery, with the building's approvals applied for by us.
Free site visit · Building approvals handled by us · Designed in 3D
What a gym fit-out involves
A gym is one of the harder commercial units to fit out well. It puts heavy equipment on the slab, many people in one room at once, noise and vibration that neighbours notice, and wet areas in use all day. In Dubai many gyms sit inside a tower or mall, so the work has to satisfy the building's own rules as well as the general requirements for any place the public uses. From a shell or a previous tenant's layout, the fit-out covers partitions, ceilings, floor build-ups by zone, mirrors, ventilation, lighting, sound, changing rooms and reception joinery made in our own workshop, within our wider commercial fit-out service.
Fitness spaces we fit out
Commercial gyms
Free-weight, machine and cardio zones, group rooms and full changing facilities, with the heaviest loads on the strongest part of the slab.
Boutique and boxing studios
One room built around one format, such as cycling, HIIT or boxing, where lighting, sound, air change and ceiling fixings for bags matter as much as the equipment.
Yoga and pilates studios
Quiet rooms with warm, even light, a timber or cushioned floor, and acoustic separation from the rest of the building.
Villa and garden gyms
A private training space at home. For the garden version see our outdoor gym for villa gardens page.
Zones to plan in the layout
- ReceptionCheck-in counter and retail storage, with the counter joinery made in-house.
- Free-weight zoneRacks and platforms on the thickest floor build-up, with mirrors and clearance between stations.
- Machine and cardio zonePower at each position and a floor that resists wheels and sweat.
- Studio roomsEnclosed, with their own lighting, sound and air supply.
- Changing rooms, showers and lockersPlanned for peak use, not average use.
- Staff and storageA staff room, cleaning store and space for loose equipment.
Floors, structure and vibration
The floor build-up changes from zone to zone
The floor cannot be changed cheaply later, so it is planned zone by zone. Under free weights the usual build-up is a thick rubber or EPDM layer, often over an isolation mat, so dropped weights are absorbed rather than passed into the slab. Machine and cardio areas take a thinner rubber or a resilient vinyl. Yoga and barre studios often get a timber floor; dance formats call for a sprung floor that gives slightly underfoot. Changing rooms and showers need tanked floors and walls, drains laid to falls and ventilation that clears steam. We lay rubber and EPDM flooring and vinyl flooring ourselves.
Heavy-weight areas also raise a structural question. Loaded racks are a concentrated load, and repeated drops send vibration into the units around. In a tower or mall that is a matter for the building's engineer: the position of the free-weight zone, its loads and any isolation layer should be confirmed with them before the layout is fixed. We raise it in the Project Study, not at the end.
Services and finishes that make a gym work
HVAC and fresh air
A full class produces far more heat and moisture than an office of the same size, so cooling and fresh air are sized for peak occupancy, with extract in the wet areas. Our MEP team handles this.
Ceiling height
Rigs, pull-up bars and bags need height and fixings for hanging loads, so many gyms leave the ceiling exposed and use false ceilings only in reception and changing rooms.
Acoustics to neighbours
Isolation under the floor, lined partitions on shared walls and the loudest zones placed away from the units beside, above and below.
Mirrors and wall protection
Mirror walls on a flat, solid backing with a protective skirting so a rolling plate never reaches the glass; hard-wearing panels where equipment knocks the walls.
Lighting and AV
Bright, even light on the main floor, dimmable light in studios, sound zoned by room, and power at every machine.
How the building and the authorities shape the plan
In a tower or mall the building management usually reviews the fit-out drawings before work starts and sets working hours and rules on noise and common areas. Because a gym is used by the public, the fire-exit and escape-route requirements that the building and the relevant authorities set for public premises also apply, and they can change where studio walls and changing rooms go. We allow for these at the Plan stage and apply for the approvals ourselves; which ones apply depends on the building and the scope.
Our stages on a gym fit-out
Project Study
Free site visit, survey of the unit and its services, a read of the building's fit-out rules, and the structural questions passed to the building's engineer early.
Plan
Zoning, floor build-ups, services and sequence, with the building's approvals applied for by us.
Visualization
The gym in 3D with the equipment placed, so clearances and mirror walls are signed off before anything is built.
Execution
In-house fit-out within the hours the building allows, with a dedicated project manager as your single point of contact.
What changes the cost
- Starting conditionA bare shell needs more than a unit with usable services, ceilings and a floor.
- Floor build-upsThick rubber over isolation, sprung timber and tanked wet areas cost more than a plain resilient floor.
- HVAC capacityHigh occupancy often needs more cooling and ventilation than the base building provides.
- Acoustic and structural workIsolation layers, lined partitions and anything the building's engineer asks for under heavy zones.
- Joinery and finishes
Questions and answers
Can a gym go on an upper floor of a tower?
What floor should a free-weight area have?
Do yoga and dance studios need a special floor?
How do you stop noise reaching the units next door?
Do you apply for the building's fit-out approval?
How long does a gym fit-out take?
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