The Brick answers Antwerp’s design gym call
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

‘How was it possible that Antwerp, this bustling city with its fashion reputation, diamond trade, and so much more, only had these typical-looking, run-of-the-mill gyms?’ asks Tiffany Stevens when recalling the frustration her husband David Box and she experienced as personal trainers in the Flemish city.
The couple started a personal training studio in Antwerp’s Zurenborg area, then founded M4teria, a high-end personal gym in the same neighbourhood. Clients there egged them on to open another gym concept, just 6 months after M4teria was up and running.
The reception area of The Brick Gym in Antwerp, Belgium
That concept became The Brick, a contemporary fitness space located in Antwerp’s hip South area. ‘We accidentally heard these premises were vacant through a friend, and immediately fell in love’, says Stevens. ‘It used to be a warehouse at first, then an office and stockroom for a Belgian menswear brand.’
Many of the building’s original bones were preserved: floors were stripped to reveal the weathered layer underneath, concrete pillars were kept, brick walls exposed. From the street level entrance, steel stairs lead up to the reception and sitting area, behind which a partition partly hides strength training and cardio equipment from view. Another steel staircase leads to the second floor level, where a glass partition divides a mirrored area for group lessons and an additional area for strength training. Another partition there is decorated with a playful Studio Job pattern.
The seating area of The Brick Gym in Antwerp, Belgium
‘For the concept for the interior, we didn’t work with interior designers’, explains Stevens of Box and hers’ curation of the furnishings, which were mostly sourced at RR Interiors in Knokke and IKEA.
‘We wanted to keep the character of the building intact, first of all’, she continues. ‘Secondly, we wanted to give a warm, welcoming feel to every part of the space that is not directly linked to the gym itself.’
As a result, the sitting area radiates a homely loft atmosphere, with mustard yellow, velvet sofas and green Gubi Beetle chairs. ‘We chose a beautiful sculpted oak wood table to welcome our guests, which is intentionally lower than the counters you would usually find in gyms – we were aiming for an open aesthetic more often found in boutique hotels.’
The minimal, concrete changing rooms and sauna boast rainshowers, Vola taps and hair and skincare products by Marie Stella Maris. ‘It’s a complete experience, unique in Belgium’, says Stevens. ‘We don’t want our clients to say ‘I’m going to the gym’, but, ‘I’m going to The Brick.’
The contemporary fitness space is located in Antwerp’s hip South area
The reception area
Floors have been stripped to reveal the weathered layer underneath, concrete pillars kept, brick walls exposed
A partition is decorated with a playful Studio Job pattern
Beetle-juice green is a theme colour throughout
Along with mustard yellows and sun-baked reds
A partition partly hides strength training and cardio equipment from view
The minimal, concrete changing rooms and sauna boast rain showers and Vola taps
A view of the changing area
INFORMATION
For more information, visit The Brick Gym website (opens in new tab)
ADDRESS
Waalsekaai 57, 2000 Antwerp
Belgium
-
Feast your eyes: Nadine Ghosn brings cutlery-inspired jewellery to the table
Nadine Ghosn’s Youtensils jewellery collection brings a playfulness to the functional forms of the humble fork, spoon and disposable straw
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Former builders’ yard transformed into a home and studio by Studio MacLean
This new project, a former builders’ yard in the Cotswolds, by Studio MacLean, showcases the design and build skills of Jason and Jenny Rose MacLean
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Herman Miller presents Alexander Girard posters from his panels designs
You can now buy Alexander Girard posters, inspired by his decorative panels, thanks to a new Herman Miller collection
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
The best gyms around the world for design buffs in 2018
By Mary Cleary • Last updated
-
Skate park design goes to the British seaside with Guy Hollaway’s F51
F51 is Folkestone's brand new, dedicated, multistorey skate park, courtesy of the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust and Hollaway Studio
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
-
Community centre architecture redefined: Holborn House by 6a and Caragh Thuring opens
Holborn House by 6a Architects and Caragh Thuring opens for the Holborn Community Association in London, bridging art and community architecture with people at its heart
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
-
Pink concrete skatepark is a striking urban landmark in the Chihuahuan Desert
A team of architects, landscape designers, sociologists and urban planners came together to create La Duna, a fine example of skatepark architecture on the northern border of Mexico
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
-
Last chance to play: Yinka Ilori's colourful basketball court in Canary Wharf is a slam dunk
Artist and designer Yinka Ilori applied his signature colourful geometries to his design for this new public basketball court in Canary Wharf, London
By Rosa Bertoli • Last updated
-
Building muscle: London architecture walks and runs
Try these London architecture walks and runs for some physical and intellectual edification
By Simon Mills • Last updated
-
Janne Tuunanen captures modernist architecture of renovated Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Photographer Janne Tuunanen captures the sharp modernist architecture of the recently renovated Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Finland in his latest series
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
-
Bright ideas: sink your teeth into these dental care delights
From cracked teeth to mask breath, we chew over the best dental solutions for every oral care woe
By Pei-Ru Keh • Last updated