2017 Best of Design Awards Retail – Interior: Health Yoga Life

Architect:  BOS|UA
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

The yoga studio is located in the ground floor of the Novartis Building in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The new 1,500-square-foot commercial space has great street presence, providing the opportunity to showcase the values of the studio and the brand to a larger audience—namely, that yoga is the practice of connecting to oneself and others. The key elements that make Health Yoga Life stand out are the mentoring and learning functions of the business. The architecture firm decided to translate these three main aspects—community, coaching, and practice—into defined spatial experiences: shop, forum, and studio. Public programs, such as the forum and the shop, act as magnets to the street, while the studio focuses on the interiority of yoga.

“It’s inviting, flexible, and straightforward — a nice, fluid transition of spaces that all seem restful even though exposed at street level.” —Irene Sunwoo, Director of Exhibitions, GSAPP (juror)

Contractor: 
Atlantic Management Group

Millwork:  
Bill Bancroft

Furniture:
BOS|UA