Opened on 5 October 2009, the purpose-built gym is targeting 40 per cent lower water and energy consumption than existing Les Mills gyms, and will also offer the latest in environmentally sustainable design features.

These include:

• a building façade that maximises thermal and acoustic performance through a combination of pre-finished fibre cement exterior cladding, double glazing and multi-cell polycarbonate cladding
• large areas of glazing to reduce the need for artificial lighting of the studio spaces
• high efficiency heat pumps for cooling and warming spaces
• fully integrated central Building Management System to control and manage the energy consumption of the building services within the spaces
• controlled and zoned lighting, with occupancy sensors within the spaces to reduce electrical energy consumption.
• heat exchangers that utilise waste water from showers to pre-heat hot water
• solar preheating for the auxiliary plumbing system serving the accessible toilets and showers
• water efficient plumbing fittings, with models selected having followed a testing process in other Les Mills gyms to verify that the quality of the showering experience is not compromised
• a large number of bicycle stands for the building to encourage the use of greener and healthier transportation
• a recycling collection in the building.

In addition, 97 per cent of the old gym building was recycled, says The Building Intelligence Group Senior Project Manager Melanie Briasco.

"We set a target for the demolition contractor of the old Les Mills Building to recycle 80 per cent of the building materials by weight.  The building construction of brick, concrete, timber and steel allowed us to easily reach that target, and through the use of the Becon construction waste recycling facility in Christchurch, the percentage of demolition materials recycled was able to reach 97 percent."

Les Mills'  partnership with The Building Intelligence Group involves nationwide projects, including the Auckland Club, Lower Hutt Club, a green audit of Les Mills' head office and all 10 gyms.