Simple Garage Doors Make a Fitness Space Special

Sumptuous, attention-getting materials such as terrazzo, laminated wood and colored glass have their place, but sometimes what's needed to really make a space functional, and special, is a simple garage door.

This 8-by-40-foot covered patio located four feet below grade outside the Carbondale (Colo.) Recreation & Community Center was intended for exercise, but the building owner wanted the option of leaving fitness equipment there without worrying about theft. For that reason, Carbondale-based J.R. Baker Architects Inc. specified a series of garage doors that can be kept partially or fully open in good weather, and closed and locked in bad weather and during off hours. The doors, complete with insulated windows (to mitigate condensation) and pull-tab locks that slide into the tracks, are standard, off-the-shelf products whose natural draftiness around the top and sides helps keep air circulating in the otherwise sweaty environment. Including custom powder-coating in bright colors, the doors added just $25,300 to the cost of the project.

fitness studio    Garage doors