Trainbox is a fitness center located in an old industrial building at the northern suburbs of Athens. Split in two levels, the freestanding building was in poor condition after a series of different uses and interventions.

The design approach was to strip down both interior and exterior from all the additional structures and bring the building back to its initial shape. The marks and footprints of all its past layers were left intact suggesting its history. Applying the same color on every surface, regardless of its use or material, unified all those layers. The inside was painted black whereas the outside was painted white.

The entrance of the fitness center formed a distinct white box that visibly connected the two levels through its double height and creating an enclave of the exterior space into the interior. The white box was treated as a metal lattice out of which the stairs, the gates and the reception desk emerge.

The interior was divided according to the program of the fitness center into five clearly defined areas, regular gym, group training, pilates, martial arts and crossfit. This division was accentuated by the differentiation of the dominant color and the lighting configuration for each area.

At the exterior, the white walls served as a canvas for a sketch-like mural by artist Dimitris Taxis, underlining the black and white dipole, while a big neon-light billboard was placed on the terrace, becoming a symbol. These two gestures transform the building from a mundane urban presence to a vehicle of art.