GlaxoSmithKline is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, and it has a very large and sophisticated workforce of knowledge workers. The company is fully committed to keeping its employees healthy and effective, and it has an active health promotion and education program that encourages, among other things, regular exercise. Approximately 30% of the staff are active users of this facility. Members of the fitness center pay a well-subsidized monthly fee for its use.

The fitness center was optimally located adjacent to other health management functions and at the center of a large and dispersed campus. From a construction perspective, the site was less than ideal. It straddled a number of significant utilities, including the main water service meter pit and valve room, the site fire loop, and data and telecom duct banks. The relocation of these services drove the cost of the project higher than would have normally been the case.

Architecturally, the project employed the use of a very simple shed form that allowed a light and airy space for the main exercise room as well as loft space for mechanical equipment over locker rooms and other support space. Campus standard materials and colors, including brick and metal siding, were chosen for the exterior.

Interiors were intended to be casual, comfortable and off-standard. In the main exercise area, the building structure and services are left exposed; in other areas these systems are partially masked by fragmented ceiling planes of acoustical tile.