Village Camelback

Phoenix / Arizona / USA

An iconic mountain, an adjacent historic bank, the pattern created by the swing of a racquet, and an existing palette of forms and materials collectively inspire and give shape to a dynamic health club renovation.

Situated at the base of Camelback Mountain, across from the beloved Chase Bank on 44th and Camelback Roads with its whimsical organic motif, lay a tired Mexican restaurant and an equally worn racquet and health club hidden behind it. Barely visible from the main road, the health club was in desperate need of modernization and expansion to compete in an increasingly challenging and competitive marketplace.

The ambitious scope faced by the design-build team included repurposing an existing restaurant, integrating it with the existing health club, relocating offices and a day spa, expanding health and wellness venues, enlarging existing locker room facilities, bringing order to a somewhat chaotic assemblage of functional spaces, reimagining the entire property, and establishing a visual presence along the well-traveled Camelback Corridor. All this was to be achieved within a singular structure, spanning two properties under separate ownership. Additionally, the Club needed to remain open for business seven days a week throughout the duration of construction.

The resulting design features a dynamic roof form reaching toward the mountain view, resting upon a feature wall that unifies the old facility with the new. This feature wall extends through the club’s interior, projecting out towards the street, defining a welcoming front entry plaza. A curved wall sweeps through the project like the swing of a racquet, embracing the stadium tennis court and guiding club members into the light-filled entry hall. A varying rhythm of wall openings, inspired by the acceleration of a racquet as it swings through a ball, provides glimpses of the outdoor activities and mountain views beyond.