December 4, 2020

Text: Matthew Hague

Dubbeldam Architecture + Design Brings Indoor Rowing to Toronto

Indoor rowing is a heart-pumping, sweat-drenching exercise that works every inch of the body—core, arms, legs, even the neck muscles. At Power10, Toronto’s first dedicated indoor rowing studio, architect Heather Dubbeldam, founder of her namesake firm, imbued an old industrial space with a suitably amped sense of energy. In the rowing studio, raw brick walls and exposed pipes were painted jet black then festooned with LED lights that pulse and change color, programmed to the adrenaline-surging music (the space can be loud, but the tenant upstairs, a recording studio, is protected with huge, sound-damping slabs of felt). As a counter balance, the lobby lounge and the two changing rooms are articulated with white oak benches, walnut lockers, touches of grey and blue. “We wanted a few places of respite,” says Dubbeldam, “places to get ready for or relax after such intense workouts.”

Dubbeldam worked with branding and graphics studio Sali Tabacchi to develop Power10’s visual identity. The diagonal lines through the space instill a sense movement, suggesting the stroke of rowing oars. Photography by Riley Snelling.
The cross-shaped LED lights on the walls and ceilings mimic the shape of crossed oars, as well as the Roman numeral for 10. Photography by Riley Snelling.
In addition to the rowing studio, a secondary gym has treadmills, free weights, kettle bells and other workout equipment. Photography by Riley Snelling.
A 3-foot high, 25-foot-long Power10 logo is punched through the wall behind the reception desk, creating a visual connection between the adjacent lounge and the corridor to the change rooms and rowing studio. Photography by Riley Snelling.
The changing rooms have similar color palettes—natural woods, gold, terrazzo flooring. Photography by Riley Snelling.

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