Lights and Pipes in a Gym

[Ferdinand]

This is slightly off topic, but we are technically "self-building".

 

I am involved in moving a (Crossfit) gym into a new unit. This is a photo of the unit pre-fit-out, and we will be having the far end in the pic when a wall has been built across. The left hand side is the front. 

 

Dimensions of our unit are 30m front to back by 18m side to side, giving a 5800 sqft rectangular space, with loos, showers, and changing rooms on the right hand side in this view. The eaves height is about 5m, and the apex height is about 9m. The facility will run potentially from 6am to 11pm six days a week plus special events on Sundays. The walls will be painted grey to a height of ~4.5m.

 

 

The issue that I have got is a pair of normal self-build elephants that have appeared out of thin air at zero notice and are now standing on my foot, and I have a very few days to decide how to deal with it, and there is not very much in the budget - but what is needed will be found. Basic heating is gas and will be staying. Electrics are generally not an issue as Crossfit does not usually involve machines with power supplies.

1 - I need to replace the lights. The cable is staying in place.

 

2 - I need to run a water supply from the LHS where the new metered supply comes in to the changing rooms and showers. Water heating will be electric at the shower.

 

Lighting

 

For 1, which I think is the more straightforward, it is a case of rapidly sourcing the right LED lights for a gym lit from that height, getting them and probably paying the LLs refurbishment contractors to replace them when they take the old ones down to avoid messing about with big scaffold towers. Plus a need to think about certification if required.

 

Can anyone advise me on light intensity, types and perhaps colour of light (warm or cool white?), and perhaps recommend a source?

 

Water pipes etc

 

For 2, it seems to me that I can run the water supply high or low, exposed or hidden.

 

I need to decide:

 

2a - Type and size of pipe. I think I want plastic (JG Speedfit?) on a 100m reel, or perhaps 2x50m for ease of handling, so it is in one or two lengths only.

 

2b - High or low?  Hidden or concealed?

 

If I am running it at ground level (and therefore round at least one or two doors depending on which way we go) it will need protecting, perhaps by the type of plastic boxing in which was pointed out by I think @Onoff some time ago for bathrooms. I think that is complicated, and more expensive, but if I did it I would probably also run a pipe and conduit in tandem in the other protected space in the boxing-in product so I can get electricity anywhere later round the walls.

 

I think I prefer to run it at perhaps 3-3.5m to go above doors and nto have things dropped on it, but not be stupidly high for ease of installation, and to leave it exposed so that any leaks or damage become immediately obvious.

 

For wallball exercise spots we would need to install facing boards over the pipe. Not a problem.

 

2c - Do I need an accumulator or similar? We will be having 2 showers, with potentially one or two extra later, but if we grow to need them we will have more money to spend.

 

Wrap-Up

 

3 - Have I missed anything?

 

I would welcome comments on any of the above, perhaps especially from known gym users such as @Onoff and @jack or relevant pros. Any advice from anyone would be most welcome.

 

Cheers

Ferdinand

 

Edited March 20, 2018 by Ferdinand

[Dudda]

Planning, Fire certification, accessibility? You'll need accessible toilets, showers, fire escapes, etc. Is someone taking care of this for you? Can't imagine electric feeding multiple showers will work. What are you doing to support the floor where heavy weights are lifted and dropped? Ventilation is also a big issue in gyms. How are you ventilating the toilets and showers or the waste? I've a lot more questions and bit worried about this.

Edited March 20, 2018 by Dudda

[Onoff]

Gym user? 

 

Think I might have posted up when I used Falcon Trunking? Someone comnented it (the trunking) looked nice. They do cable AND pipe management systems:

 

http://www.falcontrunking.co.uk/home.html

[jack]

That's an amazing space!

 

1 hour ago, Dudda said:

What are you doing to support the floor where heavy weights are lifted and dropped? 

 

First thing I thought. Our (also Crossfit) gym has special flooring in the main open areas, although I'm not sure of the actual make-up. No weights are allowed outside of those areas. "Proper" gym flooring can be eye-wateringly expensive, I believe. Not sure whether you could do a cheap version with a layers or two of plywood covered in some form of rubber matting over the top.

 

Re: lighting, I saw this article: http://luxreview.com/design-clinic/2014/10/three-ways-to-light-a-gym - among other things, it mentions the importance of low intensity lights.  I hate doing wall-balls or anything involving lying on my back underneath the lighting fixtures at our gym, and they use pretty low intensity panels. I'm not sure of the details, but they're suspended panels about a metre square.

[Nickfromwales]

@Ferdinand

Run a 22mm Hepworth pipe up and over with basic girder clamps and just lag it. Cover with white duct tape for aesthetics Do that with a 100m length if a 50m isn't enough. No joints on the main run is a no brainer. 2-man manageable without issue.  

As you should have 3 phase available, you'll need to provision to have a new 3-phase board to run the electric showers and water heater.

Size the water heater accordingly with either a 15litre instant blended down to 50oC flow or if preferred just fit a Sunamp unit so you have no valves / complexity / discharge pipework to outside / annual inspection and known maintenance. SA = Fit and forget. . 

For showers, forget the accumulator and go for a single 50gal break tank, or two smaller 25gal coffin tanks if space is tight. Use these on a 22mm pipe 'common rail' reducing to 15mm to supply each one and use Pumped Electric showers. Instant high performance and they suck the water out of the gravity / break tanks. The water heater / WC / kitchen / utility can then run completely unaffected by the bulk water consumption of the showers. 

Triton T80Si

These have integral run time limiters for 8-10-12 min showers or around those times afaic remember so members can't shower forever and run the break tanks dry. Also preserves water in the event that somebody leaves a shower running. They'll automatically shut off after the preset timer ( user definable jumper pins are located inside the shower to select duration ). 8.5kw is plenty but they are available in 9.5kw too iirc.  

[Nickfromwales]

A way to cheat out of lots of fixings with the cold feed going 'up and over' is to pull a 6mm catenary wire over first, spanning the big members / beams, and tighten it off with a Gripple. Secure the loose tail with a couple of U clamps and don't over tighten. Then you can zip-tie the pipe at 300mm intervals, cheaper and quicker imo.  

 

EDIT : Just looking at the picture, if your going alongside one of those big support beams eg left to right, stick with the Girder clamps

[Ferdinand]

Thank-you for the comments so far :-). Posting here was with the aim of useful solutions and problems being pointed out.

 

Replying to comments so far.

 

@Onoff

2 hours ago, Onoff said:

Gym user? 

 

Sorry - is that libellous? Get a swim spa into that bathroom !

Falcon Trunking may be the one; I remembered an system alternative to someone proposing wooden boxing-in in a bathroom.

 

2 hours ago, Dudda said:

Planning, Fire certification, accessibility? You'll need accessible toilets, showers, fire escapes, etc. Is someone taking care of this for you? Can't imagine electric feeding multiple showers will work. What are you doing to support the floor where heavy weights are lifted and dropped? Ventilation is also a big issue in gyms. How are you ventilating the toilets and showers or the waste? I've a lot more questions and bit worried about this.

 

We are more self-supervising than self-building on the refurbishment side, though we will be doing equipment etc. The guys who run the gym are very competent and well-qualified in training and gym things.

 

For a bit of background, all work is being done by the appropriately qualified professionals. I am picking a pair of steel toecaps this afternoon so I will be allowed to visit. The LL is refurbishing a 55m x 18m unit which has been empty for several years (spending a 6 figure sum), and the scope of his works are not quite where we thought they were - we expected lighting and a water supply to the to-be-refitted washroom. Hence the questions above.

 

I helped fund the startup about 3 years ago when asked, and my role is generally background and pointing out potholes in the road (eg how long planning takes for anything :-) ). We are moving from our current premises, which are about 5000 sqft - so all the special flooring, H&S, ventilation issues are familiar and being managed. The current premises have been properly inspected by the right officials etc. But the current premises (until next weekend) are also upstairs, so we have managed weight dropping, H&S etc particularly carefully for the sake of the people downstairs.

 

Planning for change of use has been a saga, as ever. Many gyms seem to operate unlawfully in their B1 or B2 premises, where they really need D3 use-class. We have the right class, though it took months and months to go through (full sequential test etc). Accessibility has been front and centre, though exactly what accessibility is required in a gym, and for whom, is a little debatable, and what degree of adaptation etc is required.

 

Difficult questions are very welcome.

 

@jack

 

1 hour ago, jack said:

First thing I thought. Our (also Crossfit) gym has special flooring in the main open areas, although I'm not sure of the actual make-up. No weights are allowed outside of those areas. "Proper" gym flooring can be eye-wateringly expensive, I believe. Not sure whether you could do a cheap version with a layers or two of plywood covered in some form of rubber matting over the top.

 

Re: lighting, I saw this article: http://luxreview.com/design-clinic/2014/10/three-ways-to-light-a-gym - among other things, it mentions the importance of low intensity lights.  I hate doing wall-balls or anything involving lying on my back underneath the lighting fixtures at our gym, and they use pretty low intensity panels. I'm not sure of the details, but they're suspended panels about a metre square.

 

Yes we have the right floor coverings, and a culture (so far) of not slamming weights around. And yes, it is eyewateringly expensive even if you cut test-and-demonstration deals. But cheep-and-cheerful involves significant compromises, so we think it is better to focus on reducing the cost rather than finding an alternative. There is quite a lot that can be done in that regard.

 

Thank-you for the article. I will pass it on.

 

Lighting is now looking like one area where we need to think carefully.

 

@Nickfromwales

 

Thanks for all that.

 

Ferdinand

 

Edited March 20, 2018 by Ferdinand

[Onoff]

Lots of reading here:

 

https://www.cibse.org/knowledge/knowledge-items/detail?id=a0q20000008I7kFAAS

 

salix_guidance_-_sports_halls.pdf

 

artificial-sports-lighting-design-guide-2012-051112.pdf

 

 

[oldkettle]

Just +1 to what @jack said on lighting. Most people spend some time lying on their backs in a gym and lights, even at 5m height, easily make it unpleasant. If there is a way to create reflected lighting, may be excessively bright, but pointing a bit up from the top of the wall area (plus bright reflective paint for the ceiling), it might work. Otherwise, larger panels with lower intensity would probably be better. I personally don't care about the colour.