Body Shop Athletic Club Bella Vista

Santo Domingo, D.R.
Construction Cost: $9.25 million
Area / Square Feet: 57,000
Occupancy Date: September 2011

Body Shop Bella Vista is the third facility operated by Body Shop Athletic Club S.R.L., which was developed by the company's owner, Anthony Bernal, a civil engineer with a passion for both fitness and construction. This nine-level project was built in a high-commercial zone in Santo Domingo and consists of three levels of fitness, an outdoor activities roof, underground and above-ground parking areas, and retail stores.

The Club's entrance is on the top indoor floor. Floor-to-ceiling heat-efficient curtainwalls accentuate open spaces, and 15-foot-high ceilings provide additional airiness. Wood-imitation vinyl was used for flooring in almost all fitness areas, and the flooring for the ninth-floor membership area consists of 1-inch transparent acrylic, allowing a view to the free-weight zone located 32 feet below on the seventh floor.

A stainless-steel wall base was installed on the ninth floor, and colored glass and mirrors with stainless-steel supports, floating mirrors with backlights, and colored and transparent acrylic furniture give workout and membership areas a sophisticated look.

In addition to three external elevators that connect the fitness club to the rest of the building's levels, there is an internal panoramic elevator connecting the club's four activity levels.

In an effort to reduce neighbor complaints related to the vertical construction of this building, Bernal gave free memberships to all of them before construction began.