The new Latitude Sports Club is a family fitness center designed to provide a gathering space for the whole community. The site — a brownfield with abundant wetlands — provided a challenge that was responded to by extending the building vertically. As the site is lower than nearby highways, glass used at the upper levels provides visual interest.
The facility contains four racquetball courts, a basketball court and four competitive tennis courts. A three-story climbing wall flanks the first-floor fitness center. Youth-specific areas include childcare and party rooms, while adult areas include a yoga studio with an outdoor deck, and rooms for group cycling, Pilates and Kinesis. Additionally, there is a women-only fitness area. The swimming pool with adjacent whirlpool — and separate family locker rooms — is located on the fourth floor.
To meet a tight budget, the building was stacked so the main structural, mechanical and plumbing elements were consolidated in one third of the building, while the more open spaces, including the basketball and tennis courts, occupy the remainder. The building uses the large open spaces such as the upper-level pool coupled with the exterior sun deck, to reflect the aesthetics of the New England landscape. Honest, simple materials — such as stained concrete, exposed steel and large-scale smooth tiles — are used throughout the building, creating the look of a modern community center.
