Gym for people with disabilities in Granada, Spain by Serrano + Baquero

Gyms are not necessarily democratic spaces. Quite apart from the macho, grunt-filled atmosphere of the muscle gym, which can be off-putting to most people, they are often downright exclusionary to women, the poor, fat people and those with disabilities. Countering this last tendency is a recent conversion by Spanish architects Serrano + Baquero, which has transformed a small, double-aspect commercial unit in a suburb of Granada into a gym specifically for disabled people. The conversion has been accomplished with the lightest of touches: the unit is at ground level, obviating the need for a ramp and, inside, all partitions have been removed. Instead, translucent curtains can be used to divide the room as required; these also provide privacy for the users of this otherwise entirely transparent space.