Have you ever entered a gym and noticed stale air and odors? Felt like leaving because of the unpleasant air? Your gym or sports club shouldn’t smell like your school’s gym after an intense basketball game or wrestling match. With the right HVAC and ventilation system, you can get rid of bad odors and provide your clients with a healthy environment they seek, making it enjoyable for them to visit your gym. Good air quality can not only retain your customers but also help you attract new ones.
A healthy microclimate is essential for every fitness center
Clients of fitness centers visit the gyms because they want to improve their health and shape their bodies through regular care and exercise. Anyone who cares about their health would not neglect the air quality in the training facility. If you are an owner or manager of a fitness center, you would want to grow and expand your business. Definitely, air quality and adequate ventilation should be carefully considered by you as a competitive advantage over other gyms.
Poor air quality and improperly designed and implemented ventilation will not be a competitive advantage for your fitness center
What can happen if your ventilation system has not been properly designed, implemented, or maintained? Most likely, the end result will be a hot and humid environment because the system does not remove enough moisture, as well as higher overhead costs. What else can a malfunctioning ventilation system lead to:
- Moist air, which besides making it harder for clients to breathe, can lead to the formation of mold and mildew in the gym;
- Easy spread of viruses and bacteria through the moist air;
- The spread of a musty, damp odor throughout the entire gym, which drives visitors away;
- Higher bills and more frequent maintenance repairs, because the entire system is not functioning properly;
Insufficient ventilation can lead to dangerous levels of carbon dioxide - СО2
When a person trains in the gym, their heart rate speeds up, leading to faster breathing, which results in exhaling larger amounts of carbon dioxide. This reduces the amount of oxygen in the gym, making the air insufficient for the clients. Insufficient oxygen in the air can have a suffocating effect and cause faster fatigue in those training, leading to an unsatisfactory workout experience. This process happens especially quickly in smaller spaces. Fitness gyms, aerobics, and dance studios are most often affected, as they are relatively compact rooms in existing buildings where ventilation systems have been neglected.
A properly designed, implemented, and maintained HVAC and ventilation system in fitness and aerobics halls is essential to provide the correct amount of fresh air and thermal comfort for the visitors.
In December 2014, a study conducted by the Universities of Lisbon (Portugal) and Delft (Netherlands) was published in the magazine Building & Environment, examining and assessing the air quality in various fitness centers. In both countries, it was found that fitness halls measured high levels of airborne dust, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The concentrations of these substances in a large number of training halls exceeded the accepted air quality standards. This prompted authorities in the Netherlands and Portugal to initiate inspections and measurements of the environment in all fitness, aerobics, dance, yoga, and sports training halls.
Air with high humidity and enriched with carbon dioxide would not contribute to a healthy atmosphere that your clients would appreciate. Lack of, or improperly executed ventilation in fitness centers leads to poor indoor climate, and clients experience symptoms such as irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, skin rashes, infections, headaches, dizziness, and shortness of breath. They quickly associate these symptoms with poor air quality and would switch to another training or fitness facility that offers a better environment.
Here are a few ways you can contribute to improving the indoor air quality in your sports center:
- Well-designed, implemented, and maintained ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system: It should comply with the hygiene standards for the microclimate in sports facilities and be executed according to HVAC standards for people engaging in sports activities. There should be no strong air drafts or extremely high or low temperatures. The materials used and the ventilation and air conditioning equipment must allow for easy maintenance.
- Building and finishing materials: Use materials with low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as flooring, paints, ceilings, carpets or mats, blinds, and others.
- Use of eco-friendly cleaning products: Of course, regular cleaning and maintenance of floors, walls, installations, and workout equipment in fitness centers and dance halls is the most cost-effective way to help combat poor air quality in these spaces. Purchasing cleaning products certified to meet strict emission and chemical standards (e.g., OSHA) ensures that levels of volatile compounds will be lower. Regular cleaning also significantly reduces the spread of bacteria. Keeping changing areas, bathrooms, and showers clean also contributes to this. Ventilation systems in wet areas help prevent the development of moisture, mold, and bacteria.
Don’t hide the poor air quality in the changing rooms
When designing, installing, or renovating the ventilation system in your fitness center, pay special attention to the changing rooms, restrooms, and showers. These areas are hotspots for moisture. Anyone who exercises comes in sweaty after a workout, takes a shower, and this significantly increases the humidity in these spaces. This moist air must be properly exhausted outside, while fresh, filtered, and tempered air should be supplied to these rooms. If your facility includes a pool, sauna, or steam bath, the moisture levels will be even higher.
Of course, it is important to install appropriate filters in these systems. Higher-grade filters capture a greater number and smaller-sized particles, preventing the spread of bacteria, mold, and dust. According to EU requirements, filters must be labeled and comply with the classes defined in the ISO 16890 standard. In areas with high humidity, such as swimming pools and similar facilities, dehumidifying ventilation systems like the TANGRA EVB DX pool are often installed.
Regular maintenance and servicing of ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are essential for the indoor climate of your fitness center or training and dance hall.
Designing and implementing the right ventilation systems for your fitness center is only half the battle. Regular maintenance must also be ensured, since all the air your clients and staff breathe passes through the ventilation system. Proper maintenance guarantees that visitors to your fitness center receive comfort through the necessary amount of fresh, conditioned, and filtered air, while carbon dioxide and aerosol viral particles are expelled outside.
The TANGRA team designs, installs, and renovates systems in various types of facilities. We can provide our expert knowledge both in selecting systems and in maintaining HVAC installations, ensuring that your fitness center or dance hall becomes an attractive and beloved place for your clients.
