Bubble tubes supplied by Knaresborough-based Apollo Creative have been incorporated into the cycling area at the £9m York Sport Village, designed by The Ideas Group of York, called in to develop innovative concepts inside the new building.
 |
| An artist's impression of the cycling area |
The company has already used Apollo Creative’s interactive water features in other projects around the UK, including retail environments and exhibitions.
However, the floor-to-ceiling bubble tubes in the new sport village are thought to be a first in the region’s gyms, giving users of the cycling machines something inspiring to look at as they try to emulate the feats of Britain’s world-beating cycling greats.
“We thought bubble tubes would work well in this case – and we will be developing the idea further by connecting them to technology which will reward users of the cycling machines by changing the bubbles’ behaviour to reflect their level of effort,” said The Ideas Group MD, Nick Townend.
“If that works well, who knows; we could be onto a concept which other fitness centres would like to consider.”
Apollo Creative’s Mark Hildred added: “Bubble tubes are mainly seen in sensory settings, but they always prove a popular attraction to people of all ages.
“We were really excited when Nick first approached us about the Sports Village concept, especially as I've spent many an hour pedalling away on a bike in the gym. I can see this being a popular feature and can't wait to work on developing it further."
The York Sport Village has been developed in partnership between the University of York, Sport England and the City of York Council with the stated aim of inspiring everyone to embrace active lifestyles and encourage exercise and participation in sport at every level by providing first-class facilities, services and development programmes designed to aid improvement.
